#there was this youtube comment that pointed that out. that she was completely charmed because you can tell the difference from the others | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

boysplanetrecaps · 1 year

Text

Boys Planet Episode 2, Recap Part 1

In this watch-along-if-you-want-to recap, I’ll cover Episode 2 of the popular MNET show, complete with my usual screen grabs, gifs, helpful information, and snark. Let’s get to it!

A few quick notes -- ages given are international ages; ranks given are as of the end of ep 1/ beginning of ep 2; when I say "Space Council" I mean the other trainees watching the audition.

If you want to skip past the teaser, go to 1:14.

The boys have gathered in an auditorium to watch the first episode. And who is that coming in but Sunmi, who I would basically summarize as a performance artist at this point. Man, I love her.

Haruto asks her where she’ll be sitting, and all the boys strongly suggest she sit by them. She puts a chair in the middle of the aisle, so she’s in between pretty-boy waacker Sung Hanbin and charming Canadian Seok Matthew, and she makes this face for some reason.

And then they start playing the episode.

The boys enjoy each other’s trash talk, especially Yoon Jong Woo’s comment that G Group can’t win because “our roots are different.” (We’ll be seeing more of Jong Woo very shortly, trust). I feel like maybe this comment loses something in translation, because everyone reacts like it’s the quip of the century. Jong Woo is clearly a “personality” and is most likely here more to jumpstart a career on Youtube or something -- at least, that’s my take.

Everyone dies of laughter at the My House performances, and Sunmi can’t even stay in her seat. There’s also a lot of laughter at Team Hot’s performance (in the red leather jackets). Everyone’ shaving fun but I mean, oh boy, this is going to follow them around for the rest of their lives. I hope they can… deal with it.

Then the ranking is revealed.

Someone had to be 93rd, and it’s 18-year-old Japanese trainee Riku. He interviews in Japanese that he was shocked and disappointed.

Sung Han Bin, who performed Beautiful Beautiful at the end of last episode, is crowned first place winner, and Hui, who is sitting next to him, congratulates him sincerely. This would have bene several weeks into filming so Hui and Hanbin could have gotten close in the last few weeks, but maybe they really did know each other from Cube. Hanbin is overjoyed at his ranking.

If you’re curious, according to my spreadsheet, the average ranking of the G-group trainees is 52.8, while the average ranking of the K-group trainees is 41.0, which is a pretty stark difference. Of the top 10, only two are G-group; of the top 20, only 7 are G-group. Of the bottom 20 (74 to 93), only 6 are K-group. This despite the fact that we saw more auditions from G-group trainees in episode 1. You’re going to get some of that when they weight the votes the way they do, but hey, it’s their country, it’s their show, it’s their prerogative.

More stuff about how to vote. Feel free to skip to 7:57 for the episode to really start.

Time for more auditions!

Team Redstart ENM

The four Redstart trainees come out, covered in a total of 37 star stickers. So, I guess they’re confident.

I had never heard of Redstart ENM, so I looked them up. They don’t have any acts signed to them that I can find evidence of. This agency seems to exist only to promote these four trainees.

Choi Woo Jin is 18 years old and ranked 41 as of the beginning of this episode.

Hong Keon Hee is 18 years old and ranked 87 as of the beginning of this episode.

Kim Min Seoung is 19 years old and ranked 78 as of the beginning of this episode. He was on another show called Loud.

Kum Jun Hyeon is 19 years old and ranked 31 as of the beginning of this episode. (31)

The judges joke about how Kum Jun Hyeon’s loose baggy pants are very hiphop, and then they dive into their performance of Jessi’s Nunu Nana, which, as always, I watched the full cam of on Youtube before I exposed myself to MNET editing.

My take:

This was a brilliant choice of song. It was a huge hit -- 200 million views on Youtube -- and it was originally performed by a woman, so there’s that slight thrill of gender flipping it. It’s primarily a rap song, which suits their skillset, with rather minimal choreography that gave them almost a blank slate to embroider on to make this performance their own.

Their dancing and performance (as in, stage presence, charisma, that kind of thing) were both excellent, for all four of them. Watch their footwork, their angles, their consistent facial expressions even when they’re not vocalizing. They’re powerful yet controlled. And Min Seoung did that killer flip. (I love the loud appreciative wooooah from the Space Council you can hear clearly when he flips.) Both Min Seoung and Jun Hyeon had decent enough vocals that they could be a main dancer in an idol group, though I don’t really love Min Seoung's rapping vocals. He wasn’t bad or anything, I just didn’t love the sound. I liked Keon Hee’s natural deep vocal tone when he rapped, but his singing was a bit off key. Woo Jin’s vocals were shakier, both in rapping and singing. I think I’d give Jun Hyeon and Min Seoung higher scores over all -- either give them both a 3 and the others a 2, or give them both a 4 and the others a 3.

The MNET editing makes the performance look even better -- they might have brushed up Jun Hyeon’s vocals a little, but I’m not sure. We get to see Min Seoung’s flip three times, and there aren’t any shots of the vocal judges making that sour face they make.

The Space Council thinks they did great and might all get four stars.

Omigod, I’m in tune with the judges for once.

Keon Hee 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐

Woo Jin 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐

Jun Hyeon 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Min Seoung 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Hang on, let me just double check that it’s not raining frogs or anything…. Nope, it’s just a normal day in our climate hell. I am just somehow agreeing with the judges!

Jun Hyeon is really happy to get 4 stars.

Jun Hyeon has a lot of personality, folks. He reminds me of one of my younger cousins, so I find him irritatingly endearing, if that makes any sense. I just want to tell him to shut up, but in a nice way, you know?

11:50 Tall and Short Teams Perform Conduct Zero and Reveal

Back stage, two teams are waiting -- a team from China who are very tall, and a team from Japan who are kind of short. They great each other in Korean.

The Chinese trainees interview (in Korean) that the Japanese trainees are cute, and call them “dongsaes” -- the Korean word for a younger sibling/friend. Snarkily, the show tells us that the Japanese trainees are actually older by a few years. A little number floats over the trainees heads, saying that Hiroto, Keita and Ma Jing Xiaoh are 22, 23, and 20 respectively.

(I love the constant look of bewilderment on Jing Xiao’s face throughout this encounter. He must have been really nervous to perform, but it almost looks like he’s confused as to who these hobbits are.)

Jing Xiao is 19 in the international system, so that checks out. What’s weird is, I have Hiroto’s and Keita’s ages as 20 and 21 in the international system, which would make them 21 and 22 in the Korean system…? I used their birthdates and an online birthday → age now calculator because I was too lazy to do all that math. Anyway, must be something I don’t really understand about the Korean age system. That’s why I just use the international system in these recaps.

Anyway, no one cares. Let’s watch the Osaka team perform!

Conduct Zero

Yuto is 18 and, if you’re wondering, 5’7. He’s ranked 69 right now, and is the only member of his team to give himself a confidence ranking of 3 stars instead of 4.

Kei is just 16, is also 5’7, and is a member of a “dance and vocal unit” called Edamame Beans, a subunit of EBiDAN, which seems to be some sort of AKB48 style giant “music collective” under Stardust Promotion. I don’t know much about it, but there you go. He’s in a dance position in that group. He’s ranked 76 right now.

Hiroto, not to be confused with all-star Haruto, is 20, was on Produce 101 Japan, and is signed under RBW and is on their pre-debut team. (RBW is the agency home of Mamamoo, Oneus, Onewe, and Purple Kiss.) Probably from all his pre-show exposure, and his cute face, he’s ranked 11 as of right now.

Keita is 21, a former YG Treasure Box contestant, and is a member of idol group Ciipher. He’s ranked 14 right now.

So yeah, the team comes out and Keita introduces them as “charming as takoyaki,” which Wikipedia tells me is a “Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan”, filled with diced octopus, and that it originated in Osaka.

Oh man. That does look charming, now you mention it.

The judges talk to Keita about how long he’s been a trainee - 9 years - and how he is a debuted member of Ciipher. We have a sad piano segment about how hard it’s been for Keita, that debuting in Ciipher didn’t solve all his problems.

I didn’t know much about Ciipher, so I looked into them. They have three title track MVs, with 3-11 million views each. I liked “Blind” best, easily -- I added it to my playlist, let’s see how long it stays there. I don’t know, they have their charms -- I hope they find a song that really breaks through.

Everyone assumes they’ll do a cute song because they’re all “cute” and short (they’re all around 5’7, as far as I can tell, which isn’t THAT short but whatever). It seems obvious to me that they won’t do a cute song dressed in all black, and of course, they don’t.

After encouraging each other with pats on the back -- very “got your back” before an improv show vibe -- and to the shouts of “ganbare!” from the Space Council (ganbare/ganbatte = fighting!) they dive into Conduct Zero, a 2015 release from Block B’s subunit called Bastarz.

My take on their performance:

Overall, an enjoyable watch.

All four of them danced pretty decently in my opinion. Yuto and Hiroto didn’t have quite enough power, while Kei was maybe too powerful, needing to relax a little more. Keita struck the right balance between giving the moves power while still seeming relaxed in his performance.

Vocal wise, they were all fairly decent too. Yuto’s vocals were the shakiest, but not by a lot. Keita’s rapping stood out -- good breath control, specific tone, all that good stuff. He also put some expression into it.

I would give Keita four stars, and the others 2 or 3 -- leaning more toward 3 for Kei for his strong dancing. I think it’s better to overdance than underdance.

The MNET editing is, if anything, kind, but it really looks like it’s the Keita-and-friends show. The judging seems to be just about Keita, too. They say the “K” in Keita must stand for K-pop. Lip J, addressing him as Keita-san, tells him he got 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. The others get 2 stars ⭐⭐, which I guess is pretty fair. They seem happy with that.

At 17:05, the tall Shanghai team comes out in slow motion, and everyone freaks the absolute fuck out. Like they’ve never seen such tall, handsome people in their lives.

But the guys stand on stage in fig leaf position, clearly nervous.

Here’s some info on them, including their heights since the show is obsessed:

Ma Jing Xiang is 19 years old and currently ranked 16th, and he’s 6’2. He’s a member of a predebut team called Midsummer Cubs, which is one of my favorite names for anything ever. Per kpop fandom wiki, “His specialty includes model walking and posing.”

Cai Jin Xin is also 19 and currently ranked 42nd. He’s also 6’2. He claims to be good at “mind controlling.”

Zhang Shuai Bo is 20, 6’1, and ranked 22nd. He was also on Youth With You 3, but eliminated in 100th place (out of 119). Oh noooooo.

*Tao Yuan* is 23, 6’0, and has already left the show. I couldn’t find a reason why, but it has been mentioned that he’s going to debut as a member of a group called XODIAC, so maybe that’s it.

Everyone absolutely loses their shit about how handsome Jing Xiang is, which again reminds me that I am not always in tune with who is and who isn’t considered handsome on shows like that. Please understand, I’m not calling him ugly or anything, not at all. I’m just saying that if you were to ask me to pick out the most handsome guy on this whole show, it wouldn’t be him.

They look great just standing there…. But then they start performing.

My take:

Yeah, this isn’t good.

It’s tough to tell whether they’re all equally bad or if some might be better than others. For example, right at the start, Tao Yuan in the white fringed shirt does a movement about a full second after the others, which makes you not sure at first, were the others early or was he late, or both? And when many of the members are that far off key, it’s hard to tell if maybe some of the others might be on key, because your ear loses where the key should be. Also, if you’re on a team with people singing off key, it’s likely to throw you off key too. I feel like maybe Zhang Shuai Bo did a little better than the others, singing wise, but I really can’t be sure. I don’t have the energy to watch this performance any more times than I already have, so I’ll say that I’d give Shuai Bo 1 star and the rest no stars.

MNET editing could have been a lot worse. The Space Council think the team members look good with their long limbs, and credit is given for them attempting the song in its original key, but a series of bad notes makes the vocal judge make this face:

In the MNET editing, they end to complete silence, but of course, in real life the trainees in the Space Council cheered for them when they were done. (You hear it in the Youtube full cam video.)

The dance judge, who choreographed this song in the first place, wants to say nice things about the performance because he likes his own choreography. He says he enjoyed watching their performance, which makes Shuai Bo smile so happily.

Aww, my heart. He wasn’t expecting a single word of praise, you can just tell.

But the good times can’t last. The vocal judge says they were completely out of tune the whole time.

Ma Jing Xiang gets 2 stars⭐⭐, I assume for his handsomeness, because I see literally no other reason.

Cai Jin Xin with the mesh sleeves gets 0 stars.

Zhang Shuai Bo gets 1 star ⭐.

*Tao Yuan* gets 1 star ⭐.

For once, the judges were kinder than I was.

20:23 Uncomfortable Sexy Times

At 20:23, there is a break during which the trainees and the judges pose for the cameras and try to look sexy. Then Kim Ji Woong shows up on camera and everyone says “woah!” at his expression,

but this is his constant facial expression. He’s not doing anything. He just always has that same, slightly confused look on his face. It might all be an act -- impossible to say.

Then there’s this strange segment in which Ji Woong’s neighbor and teammate, Yoon Jong Woo, pretends to kiss / actually kisses Ji Woong on the lips, interviewing that his heart was fluttering, yadda yadda. Ji Woong seems completely unbothered either way by this, and then they both admit it was just a show, something fun for the audience. So like, full on queerbaiting? Several trainees interview about how handsome Ji Woong is. Anyway feel free to skip to..

0:23:15 Mirotic

The judges tease Ji Woong about how he isn’t wearing a shirt under his suit jacket, then grill him about his acting career. And yeah, it seems that yeah, this was just a queer-baity act, because Ji Woong has thus far only appeared in BL (“boy love”) genre dramas, including one called “Kissable Lips” and another one called “Roomates of Poonduck 304.” (Those NAMES!) So it seems his whole team is doing a sort of sexy BL concept for their performance of Mirotic.

I don’t know much about this topic, but my impression is that once you’re in BL genre dramas, you kind of are stuck there. I do know that there is at least one Kpop group with a BL concept -- OnlyOneOf. They have really good music, as it happens, and I’m holding back from ranting about how much I loved their series of solo songs that they put out over the second half of 2022. From what I’ve seen, the gay community has embraced OnlyOneOf not as queer baiters but as representation for an underrepresented group. It feels fetishy to me, and inauthentic, but for a country with so much out-and-out homophobia, I guess it’s a step in the right direction…? I defer to any gay/queer/etc folk to weigh in on this, as it’s not really my place.

Ji Woong seems to live his life in a daze, just sort of accepting the fact that everyone who sees him, male and female alike, wants to fuck him. It’s just the background noise of his life. But he really loves singing and dancing (and maybe he wants to get out of the BL rut? No way to know) so he saw Boys Planet as a great opportunity.

Anyway, the performance.

It’s hard to separate the performance from their concept, which is, “What if Mirotic, but gay?” I wouldn’t mind that at all if it weren’t so fake and fetishy. It’s just as fake and fetishy as Madonna kissing Britney Spears at the MTV Music Awards 100 years ago. I have to remind myself that this might actually be representation for young gay folk in Korea, and maybe that makes it good…? Overall, it’s a decent performance, with 3+ star dancing, 2+ star vocals, and varied performance.

*Jung Hwan Rok* has already dropped out of the show, perhaps to return to his group, withus. (Judges gave him 2 stars.)

Jeong I Chan age 21, ranked 52. He used to be known as Jeong Jaebeom when he was on the show I-Land (that produced Enhypen); he spent most of his time on I-Land in the “Ground” team (low ranked) and was eliminated at the end of the first half. He has legally changed his name to 정이찬 Jung “Ee” Chan; he seems to want to go by “E-chan” now, but the show seems to spell it I-chan. I’m kind of surprised at his low rank, as I thought he had a fan base. On the other hand, oof. These vocals. He was about a full half-tone sharp right out the gate, and I think it threw off his whole team. Not great. I also got the impression he was uncomfortable with the concept. Maybe I’m wrong.

The judges give him 2 stars ⭐⭐, which seems fair.

Kim Ji Woong is ranked 2nd; he’s 24 years old.

He has a kind of surprisingly interesting vocal color, actually, and overall was a lot better than I’d feared he would be. He looks good dancing -- elegant, even. I was surprised, really. The judges give him 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐, which I actually think is pretty fair.

(Side note: you can’t hear the rose crumble in the youtube version; that was definitely the foley artist. For once, they got to add a sound effect other than the “gulp” noise!)

Lee Seung Hwan is 22 years old and ranked 13. He has really made the rounds of reality shows and whatnot. He was on Under19 and finished in 8th place, so he debuted as a member of project group 1THE9. When that group disbanded, he went on the show LOUD, where he was eliminated in the first round. He apparently was a backup dancer for Oneus during their US tour, so he must have some dancing chops.

And he does! But his performance style is a little flat, somehow, like unexciting, so I understand how he’d make a great backup dancer. He is the one who hits that high note (”yeahhhhh!”), and it sounded pretty good until he cracked. He didn’t let it show on his face either, so I give him that. They’re tired, IDK. I think he did fine, just not special. But I bet he’ll do well on the show, because he probably can pick up choreography quickly if he worked as a backup dancer.

The judges give him 2 stars ⭐⭐, which seems slightly low but not wildly so.

Yoon Jong Woo is 22 and currently ranked 73. He is listed as a rapper and was “Ze:U” in the very short lived idol group Black Level, whose debut single was called Infection. Really? Infection? In 2022? Read the room, folks. I mean, it’s like every mid-tempo kpop boy band song got thrown in a blender with one or two trop-house songs and then poured onto a pile of monochrome outfits. Not the fault of the trainees or anything.

His performance is fine -- he’s committed to the theme, I’ll say that. He does more rapping than singing, and both are fine. The judges praise him for dropping an octave at one point, and give him 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐, and that’s fine.

The MNET editing focuses on how sexy it is and how it makes everyone a combination of turned on and uncomfortable, apparently. The main vocal judge says repeatedly that it made him really uncomfortable. “I’ve never watched a boy group perform and feel strange like this,” he says. “This was a valuable first experience.”

28:21 Takuto Time

Honestly, I’m watching this so you don’t have to. Takuto comes out, makes big hearts with his arms, and everyone talks about how cute and young he is but how kind of weird he is for making hearts all the time.

My favorite moment is when he gives his age and the far more mature looking/behaving Han Yu Jin turns to his teammate and says, “He’s the same age as me.” I mean, Yu Jin is 15 and acts 25; Takuto is 15 and acts like he’s 5. I don’t have a lot of patience for this. Sorry if you like him a lot. He’s doing a thing, and maybe it’s secretly genius and I don’t get it. I know that Korean tolerance for over the top cutseyness seems to be higher than mine.

He does a song that Korean singer/legend Rain did in 2002 called “Instead of Saying Goodbye” (which Rain performed in boxing gloves). I bet it's a sentimental fave, but it's not good. It's like, what if “Party Up (Up In Here)” by DMX had its life and soul sucked out? And then its dry, brittle corpse was filled with stale bubble gum?

Ah, the very early days of kpop.

The song has been edited to include the voices of children laughing and saying “who are you?” (in English). It’s very Kidz Bop. He starts off with a random back flip, and then immediately loses his balance and falls when he lands, and that’s about it in terms of skills displayed. I’ll keep my comments short and sweet and say that the judge’s assessment of 0 stars seems very accurate to me, though I’ll add that the MNET editing that makes him seem half-witted is kind of unfair since he obviously just doesn’t speak or understand Korean, no matter how loudly and emphatically Solji speaks into her microphone.

Both “My Housers” feel like they’re welcoming Takuta to their house, as the beginning of that now cursed song begins playing ominously in the background.

32:40 Replay

The next segment features the two trainees we met at the very beginning of the first episode, who rated themselves with just 1 star. They’re ranked pretty well, though -- all that camera time did them some good, rankings wise.

Lee Da Eul, with the lighter colored hair and light blue jacket, is 18 and ranked 4th.

Lim Jun Seo, with the darker hair and brighter blue jacket, is 17 and ranked 19th.

They are performing Replay, originally by SHINee, which I think is a smart choice for two teenage trainees. It’s one of those songs I never get sick of, even though it was already many years old when I first got into Kpop. They say it’s their first time performing in front of people -- they’ve only trained for a few months.

As for their performance, It’s the same in the whole video as it is in the editing. They do their little talent show dance, sing semi on key, and are cute and spunky. I didn’t notice one being better than the other. When they’re done, the judges make them freestyle dance. Jun Seo freezes up at first, while Da Eul hams it up, dancing like a class clown trying to get attention. Finally Jun Seo does a summersault. The judges give them both 2 stars⭐⭐, which is obviously too high. They gave Jeon Woo Seok (barefoot Criminal performer) 1 star! Honestly, these judges are just trolling us.

I love these reactions from K-group:

Top, left to right is Haru ⭐⭐ and Riku⭐, who perform in Maniac. In the second row is Na Kamden’s ⭐⭐⭐ denimed legs, then Jay⭐⭐⭐⭐; those two sang Rush Hour. Then we see tall Ichika⭐, be-hatted Itsuki ⦰, and Ouju⦰, who performed Shine. (We’ll be seeing a lot more of Ouju this episode). Directly under Riku two rows down is Ma Jing Xiang ⭐⭐ in the choker, with a squinting Cai Jin Xin ⦰next to him, and then Zhang Shuai Bo ⭐ -- those three performed in Reveal earlier. You also see a bit of Winnie, the Thai idol.

What I think is funny is their reactions. Yeah, Jay is fine, and Ichika seems like a sweet, classy guy who would clap for anyone. But msot of the rest of them are showing their irriation, disbelief, and annoyance. Yeah, of course, they might just be bummed that the competition to see who can get more stars and thus see the Signal Song a day earlier is very much not going toward the G-group. But they might be extra bummed that the judges are just handing out stars willy-nilly to the Korean trainees. Were Da Eul and Jun Seo really that much better than Itsuki and Ouju, who got no stars? Were they better than Zhang Shuai Bo, with his hesitantly happy smile, who got 1 star? Were they as good as Haru, who got 2 stars? I don’t know.

So, yeah, the competition between K and G is heating up. Who on EARTH will win? No way to know, even though all along G groups have scored poorly and K groups have scored better. Who will win?

Then we have the briefest clips of multiple auditions, all of which the judges scored poorly:

Maniac, originally by Stray Kids, performed by Haru and Riku

UN Village, originally by Baehyun of EXO, performed by Wumuti

Love Scenario, originally by IKON, performed by Choi Seung Hun and Jeon Ho Young;

Lullaby, originally by GOT7, performed by Jung Ho Jin, Kim Min Hyuk, and Park Gwan Young

I’ll be covering these, and other audition performances that were skipped completely, in a separate post.

35:50 Things Get Real

The five members of Team The Real come out.

Park Min Seok, age 20, is currently ranked 64th. He says his favorite song is Love Again by Baekhyun. Good choice.

Kim Tae Rae, age 20, is currently ranked 9th. More on him shortly.

Park Han Bin, age 20, is currently ranked 34th. He went on LOUD but was eliminated in the first round. He lists Woodz as someone he looks up to, which is a huge point in his favor.

Lee Jeong Hyeon, age 20, is currently ranked 35th.

Mun Jung Hyun, age 17, is currently ranked 24th. We’ve been seeing him a lot in the Space Council, like when he sat in Chair 1 in episode 1. He’s a former child actor -- he was in four movies between 2012 and 2017 (so when he was aged 5 to 10).

I have to rant a little more about Kim Tae Rae because I love him so much but don’t know why he’s ranked so high. He was on another reality show before, one called Top 10 Student, when he was 18; click here to watch him skillfully sing a boring duet on that show. (He’s on the left.) But I don’t know if that appearance explains his high ranking. Maybe it’s his cute intro video, where he plays the guitar and sings? I don’t think so, because it doesn’t have an unusual amount of views. Could it really just be that people like his voice? I mean, that would fill me with joy. He’s so good, you guys. I get so happy when someone in Kpop can actually SING. He has a fantastic voice. It’s a tiny bit Baekhyun-esque, a similar vocal color anyway. Now I want to hear him, Baekhyun, and Lee Hwan Hee all sing together in close harmony. Ahhhhh….

Back to the point.

The judges think that Mun Jung Hyun looks like Kang Daniel, and I mean, maybe? The judges tease all the trainees about their relationship with the WakeOne team from G-group (Anthonny, Haruto, and Min, who did Glitch Mode) and Anthonny gives us this angry, eyes-like-daggers look:

Just so we know that the rivalry runs deep and that they hate each other.

Interestingly, the judges completely fail to mention the other two WakeOne trainees who are going to do Bloom Bloom later on. WakeOne sent 10 trainees in total, which is wild but makes sense -- they manage Kep1er, so obviously have a good relationship with MNET and this franchise. WakeOne also recently took over management of T01 and they manage popular soloist Jo Yuri. I’m excited to see the team they debut out of this!

The judges ask them what is their unique strength, and blue-haired Hanbin replies, “There’s nothing we can’t do.” Out in the Space Council, Anthonny says that they’re good but that they (the G-group trainees) can beat them. And then they start.

My take:

You guys. I LOVED THIS PERFORMANCE. Just watch it on Youtube. The MNET editing is trying to make it look better with all the instant replays and reaction shots, but it is so much better if you just watch it and enjoy it. This is hands down my favorite audition from this round. A lot of the lyrics are “Look at our dance” and they sell that idea to the audience, as a group. If you watch each guys individually, yeah, you notice some little things to improve, but if you watch it just all together, there isn’t an obvious weak link.

Kim Tae Rae with the light brown hair sang so well. Yeah, he cracks a little on that high note, but he’s a human being and god knows how exhausted they all were. He’s a genuine talent. He also brought a lot of energy and personality and performance to his dancing. He did drop his “face” here and there -- I think he may have been trying to look serious/determined, and it just came across as blank. But these are minor quibbles for the obvious main vocal. I give him 4 stars.

The judges give him 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐, just to make me angry, I guess.

Little Mun Jung Hyun did really well too. MNET didn’t air this part, but he does this cool raspy rapping rap in the middle and pulled it off. Not to mention his “chum deureogayu” (the dance starts now) he does, holding out the finger heart. So fun, so much personality. I did notice that his footwork needs a bit of work -- but from the waist up, he’s doing great. I showed this performance to my fella, and he picked out Mun Jung Hyun as his favorite performer. My fella has good taste -- he picked out Ten as the best dancer in The Seventh Sense. I’d give him 3 stars, just because I think he could use a tiny bit of work on his dancing, but I think he’s great. (I mean, I'd give Jung Hyun 3 stars. I'd give my fella 3 million stars!)

The judges agree with me -- Jung Hyun gets 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐.

Blue-haired Park Han Bin was obviously a major presence in the performance. My fella thought his big facial expressions were too big and annoying, but I didn’t feel that way about it. I thought it suited the song and the style they were going for. Also, he was the center, so it made sense for him to be doing that. All in all, I think he deserved what the judges gave him: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. But I disagree with LipJ, who says that he carried the whole team on his back. He didn’t have to do that; everyone here pulled his own weight.

Lee Jeong Hyeon in the white short sleeved jacked did some really excellent rapping, and had fun and varied facial expressions. Honestly, I don’t see a reason not to give him 4 stars, but the judges do -- he gets 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐.

Park Min Seok in the leather jacket must have been the lead vocal here -- he does some pretty good singing, perfectly on key and with good support and a pleasant tune. Sometimes you can kind of see him mentally counting the steps as he dances, but on the whole he does a great job. I would have been stuck between 3 and 4 stars and probably would have gone with 3, but the judges take another puff on their crack pipe and give him 2 stars ⭐⭐.

God this whole performance gets better every time I watch it. If I had seen this exact performance on some music show, I’d be stanning this team. Yes, part of it is that this song is good, but I have to say that I’m not the world’s biggest ATEEZ fan. Their music is just not really my style, as skilled and talented as the guys are. I guess I’m just not that into pirates. So I had never heard this song before. And honestly, I like this version better than any live version that ATEEZ themselves did. They bring so much energy and enthusiasm to it.

The Space Council loves the performance, too.

Haruto turns to Anthonny and reminds him that Anthonny said that the G-team was better than the K-team…

The judges tell them that even though they must have practiced a ton, they looked like they were having fun on stage, and yeah, that’s the point.

39:40 Trainee Lee Hoe Taek

Final boss Hui comes out, and everyone tenses up.

The judges ask him why he came on this show, and he says:

“I had hundreds of reasons. The biggest reason was… I needed change.” He interviews that when he got back from my military service, and returned to PENTAGON, things had changed a lot. He says that it’s been difficult for his team to even work with who they wanted to, that they were rejected a lot. He thought to himself, “We’re no longer appealing enough to work with.” It made him sad. “It was hard to overcome the invisible wall,” he says, as Solji blinks back tears. “The only option for me now is Boys Planet.”

We get a short montage, set to soft piano music, of other trainees who have already debuted, starting with the immensely talented Lee Hwan Hee from Up10tion, who we see in an interview wearing his embroidered red jacket. Thanks, MNET. Be sure to show him talking about how sad he is while showing a brief clip of his audition, instead of just, you know, showing us his fucking audition. (Although, to be fair, his audition wasn't good so maybe it was kind.)

We also hear from Seowon from NINE.i, then Cha Woonggi who used to be in T01, then Seowon again, saying “I thought everything would work out if I debuted.” The judges are sympathetic, knowing that the competition is stiff in the industry: “It’s like entering the eye of a needle now.”

Lee Dong Yeol, better known (maybe) as Xiao in Up10tion, says, “I can’t perform just because I want to… I questioned what was in the future for me. I think I’m more desperate because I debuted.”

Ok, quick note: Up10tion has some really good songs. Check out Spin Off. It’s so fun. Big and brassy and bright. I also like What If Love a lot. Give them a chance, ok?

Anyway, the judges tell “trainee Lee Hoe Taek” to perform, and he does.

My take: He does his version of BlackPink’s Shut Down, which probably means something to him emotionally, and he shuts it down, and fuck anyone who says otherwise.

Why do we have this thing that everyone has to be an all-rounder? Hui is a top tier vocalist and he can write and produce songs. Why should he have to be the best dancer in the world, too? He isn’t the best dancer; he’s good enough to be a main vocal who dances next to the main dancer. Is D.O. from EXO a fantastic dancer? Is Chen? Nope. They dance well enough that they pull their weight, and then your eye goes to Kai, hamming it up in the center. Is Kai a fantastic singer? Nope. He has improved a ton, but he’s still not as good as most of his teammates and that’s OK. That’s why we have groups in k-pop. Jesus fuck.

So, I refuse to say, “Oh, his dancing is a tiny bit stiff, I hate this performance.” He MADE that the remix. He brought in the original violin piece that BP sampled, and used a larger clip of it. He sang and then layered his backup vocals. I bet he choreographed it himself because no way is his agency supporting him, and he’s probably too proud to ask for help. Then he sang, live, impeccably, while dancing well enough to entertain.

So fuck the judges for implying they might have given him 3 stars because his dancing “wasn’t good enough.” If you’re going to give some nearly-tone-deaf trainees 4 stars, then give Hui 5 stars. Fuck.

48:00 Who won between K group or K group?

With that, they end the auditions and announce the winner. They hem and haw and drag it out of course, but K group won by a landslide.

Out of 200 stars awarded, 119 went to K group, representing 59.5% of the vote, and making the ratio of stars awarded just about 3:2 in favor of K group. K Group is excited to get the benefit of being able to practice the Signal Test Song one day earlier, but I don’t know why that’s such a benefit, since it’s obviously the exact same song they used for every other male version of this show.

Click here for my take on the auditions that weren’t aired: Attention, Bloom Bloom, Freak, Gambler, Love Scenario, Lullaby, Maniac, UN Village, Veil, and Who. That’s a total of 18 trainees we didn’t see perform at all.

Click here for the second half of this recap of Ep 2, 49:34 to the end.

Thanks for reading! If you're enjoying the recaps, tell a friend! This kind of recap appeals to a specific kind of person so I'm not sure how people will find me, so word of mouth would help a lot. Thanks! <3

#boysplanet #boys planet 999 #boys planet #hui #lee hoetaek #boys planet recap #boysplanet999 #kpop #k-pop

11 notes · View notes

trendingnewsworldsblog · 4 months

Text

Drop Servicing Demystified: Your Secret Weapon for Earning From Anywhere (Yes, even in your PJs!)

Ever wish you could ditch the grind of your 9-to-5 and become your own boss? Dream of making serious cash while sipping margaritas on a beach (or working from your PJs, no judgment!)? Well, hold onto your piña coladas, folks, because drop servicing might just be your magic carpet ride to entrepreneurial freedom.

Think of it like this: you're the middleman between clients who need digital services and talented freelancers who can deliver them. You don't have to lift a finger – no coding, no design, just some savvy matchmaking and client-whispering skills. Sounds pretty sweet, right?

But how does this digital drop-shipping, as some call it, actually work?

Here's the lowdown:

Find your niche: Whether it's writing killer website copy, crafting dazzling social media graphics, or building SEO empires, pick a digital service you dig and understand.

Hunt for talent: Scour freelancer platforms like Upwork or Fiverr for rockstar professionals who excel in your chosen niche.

Become the client whisperer: Charm clients with your expertise, understand their needs, and craft the perfect service package. Bonus points for sounding like a total pro, even if you haven't written a line of code in your life (wink wink).

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make a match: Connect the right freelancer with the right client, sit back, and watch the magic (and money) flow.

Rinse and repeat: Keep those client connections strong, find new freelance gems, and watch your drop servicing empire grow – all while chilling in your PJs or soaking up those beach vibes.

But is it all sunshine and margaritas?

Like any good adventure, drop servicing has its challenges. Finding reliable freelancers, managing client expectations, and navigating the ever-changing digital landscape can feel like juggling flaming chainsaws sometimes. But hey, that's where the secret weapon comes in: Digital Drop Servicing.

Think of Digital Drop Servicing as your drop servicing Swiss Army Knife. It's packed with powerful tools and resources to streamline your business, maximize your profits, and keep your sanity intact. Check out these gems:

Keyword CPC Calculator: Figure out how much clients should pay for those juicy keywords, so you can price your services like a boss.

AI Article Spinner: Need more content for your clients? Let AI do the heavy lifting while you grab another latte.

YouTube Thumbnail Downloader: Instantly snag those eye-catching thumbnails for your client's next viral video.

And the best part? Most of these tools are completely free!

But wait, there's more! Want to see how these tools can turn your PJs into profit-generating pajamas? Let's meet Emma Thompson, our fearless drop servicing hero (yes, I changed the name) and master of YouTube thumbnails.

Emma's Case Study:

Emma used the YouTube Thumbnail Downloader to snag captivating thumbnails from successful channels. She then offered her clients custom thumbnail design services, adding her own creative flair to the downloaded images.

The result? Emma raked in an average of $200 per client on Fiverr and Upwork, with minimal upfront costs thanks to Digital Drop Servicing's free tools. Not bad for a side hustle, right?

So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the exciting world of drop servicing with Digital Drop Servicing as your trusty sidekick. Remember, you don't need a cape or superpowers, just a little hustle, some smart tools, and the unshakeable belief that you can build your own entrepreneurial empire from the comfort of your couch.

Ready to ditch the office cubicle and sip those margaritas on your own terms? Head over to [https://digitaldropservicing.com/] and unlock your drop servicing potential today!

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment below and share your drop servicing dreams! Maybe you'll inspire the next Emma Thompson in the making.

People Also Ask:

Is drop servicing legit? Absolutely! Thousands of entrepreneurs are building successful businesses with drop servicing.

How much can I earn with drop servicing? It depends on your niche, skills, and pricing strategy. Emma's case study is just one example of the potential.

Do I need any technical skills? Not necessarily! While basic tech knowledge is helpful, Digital Drop Servicing provides tools and resources to make things easy, even for tech newbies.

Is drop servicing right for me? If you're self-motivated, enjoy connecting with people, and have a knack for problem

#digital drop servicing #free seo tools

0 notes

jackedspicer · 3 years

Text

i havent stopped thinking about how cherches romantic support conversations are all I Am But A Servile Woman And I Shall Graciously Accept Your Feelings but when she talked to gregor the sellsword she was like

CAN I MAKE IT ANY MORE OBVIOUS

#there was this youtube comment that pointed that out. that she was completely charmed because you can tell the difference from the others #That got me #the mental picture of her quietly yet aggressively mending his shirt with steely resolve #Hes gonna love it. Hes gonna be so glad i did this <3 Hes gonna love it. hes gonna notice i did this and he will say. OY. THANK YOU..#grown ass woman whose station in life makes her think she cant just say something. Shes gotta dote on him #sometimes i wonder the disparity of what you may picture when you read these from what i picture #because you know what i do i will often grab characters by the fist and make them more interesting to me.ive done it to them both #i dont imagine the anime shit where shes all petite i legit make them both more stacked than they are i have to or i'll die #AND WITH CHERCHE YOU HAD THIS. potential for a super interesting character but sometimes she falls flat because #they had to keep her wifey material and its weird like most of the female characters dont have very solid flaws or anything #there was like a twinge of something profoundly interesting and i zoomed in on it at 400% am i making sense rn.

5 notes · View notes

streetlight11 · 3 years

Text

Daycare

Summary: He sends his daughter to a daycare centre during the day when he's busy working. He loves his daughter so much but is unable to give her full attention. However, the little girl understands. Just so happens, the little girl has grown really fond of one of her daycare teachers and she loves to tell her father about her. What happens when he meets his daughter's daycare teacher one day out of pure curiosity only to fall for her later?

Theme: Family, stranger(?) to lovers

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: IdolParent!Taehyung x DaycareTeacher!Reader

Word count: 4.4k

A/n: Hi, hello. I just get so soft when I see my favourite kpop boys interact with kids and I know Taehyung loves kids so I thought of writing this. Let me know if there’s any mistakes! Other than that, enjoy reading! :)

“Okay guys, you can take a break. We’ll resume in 15 minutes.” Their choreographer said as the 7 boys let out tired groans and sighs before collapsing to the ground. Taehyung took a few heavy breaths before making his way to the bags where he took his phone out to make a video call.

A few seconds later, a familiar high pitched voice ringed through his phone speaker as the little girl stepped in front of the front camera where her grandma was holding up the phone.

“Dada!”

“Hi my flower! How are you? Have you eaten?”

“Yes dada! Grandma made chicken soup today!” Just then, the rest of the boys came rushing to Taehyung’s side as they were all taking turns to say hello to the little girl.

“Ahh! Lily ahhh! Hello!” The boys said while the little girl giggled excitedly before waving to the camera.

“Omg so cute.” Namjoon commented, only for him and Hoseok to wriggle at how cute Lily was being.

Lily was Taehyung’s daughter. Yes, he and his ex-girlfriend was still young at the time when she accidentally conceived the little girl. However, Taehyung’s ex left the baby for Taehyung’s care, completely abandoning them. Taehyung of course didn’t have the heart to throw the baby away so he ended up taking care of her.

He got the help of his family to look after the kid while he was preparing to debut. At the time, nobody knew about this except for his family. It was after he debuted that his members and his CEO and soon after, the company staff members along with his manager found out about the child.

However, Taehyung wasn’t kicked out from the team. In fact, he was given the chance to continue his career but that would mean less time to spend with his daughter. Taehyung wanted to work hard and be successful in the future for himself and his family, that includes his daughter.

Hence, the reason why he stayed with the team.

It has been 9 years since her birth and now that Bangtan was doing quite well, Taehyung was able to support his family and his daughter.

“Dada! Dada!” She called, making the boys squeal at her cuteness.

“Yes my flower?”

“I’m going back to school tomorrow! I can’t wait to meet Miss Pretty!”

“Do you really call her that?”

“Yes!”

“And she’s fine with it?”

“Miss Pretty is very nice! She’s not like the other teachers.” Taehyung laughed, staring at his daughter with such loving eyes. But soon, his happy little time had to come to an end since practice was about to resume.

“Sweetheart, Dada has to go now okay? Say bye to your uncles.”

“Bye bye uncles! Bye bye Dada!”

“Bye Lily!” The boys said in unison before Taehyung blew her a kiss and she did the same. After he hung up the call, Yoongi spoke up.

“Who’s Miss Pretty?”

Taehyung just shrugged his shoulders indicating he doesn’t know.

“I only know she’s one of the daycare centre teachers where I send Lily to everyday but I’ve never met her before.”

“Lily seemed to really like this ‘Miss Pretty’ a lot.” Namjoon commented.

“She likes everyone.” Taehyung said before going back to the middle of the room.

“No she doesn’t. She told you she doesn’t like some of our female staff members, remember?” Namjoon said, causing the rest of them to laugh.

“Maybe because they didn’t really know how to handle her.”

“Hyung, she told me Shiyeon and Jaemi noona scared her.” Jungkook said, causing Taehyung to sigh.

“I guess it doesn’t matter.” Taehyung confessed.

A few days passed by, as usual, Taehyung couldn’t pick Lily up from school due to his late working hours so his manager went to pick her up at 630 in the evening. It was 10 minutes past 6 and some of the kids had gone home with their parents.

Lily was just sitting in one of the small tables, playing with a board game alone when (Y/N), one of the daycare centre teachers, who was also ‘Miss Pretty’ as what Lily likes to call her, came up to the little girl only to join her at her seat.

“Hi Lily.” (Y/N) said with a soft smile on her face.

“Hello Miss Pretty!” Lily said as she got out of her seat and went to wrap her arms around (Y/N)’s hips. (Y/N) giggled. Hugging the little girl back before they went to take a seat. They chatted for the next few minutes while they waited for her guardian to arrive.

“Lily, can I ask you something?”

“Mhm!”

“The man who picks you up everyday, is that your uncle?”

“Nope! He’s my Dada’s manager. Dada is a singer!”

“Oh? Really? Who is he?”

“He is in a group!”

(Y/N) stared at the little girl in awe as the girl began to hum to a song that she recognized. She knew it all too well. It was Run.

“You mean, Bangtan?”

“Yes! Hehe. Do you know my uncles and Dada?”

(Y/N) didn’t want the girl to be afraid or feel like she was going to expose her to the fans that she was a child to one of the members so she shook her head. Just then, the little girl told her to turn on a song by BTS on youtube because she wanted to show (Y/N) who her dad was. (Y/N) did just that, only to click on the most recent comeback they had a few months back with the song title ‘Black Swan’.

The video played but Lily never stopped it, just enjoying the music together with (Y/N) but then she suddenly clicked pause when one of the members got a close up shot and she immediately smiled while eagerly pointing to the screen.

“Dada! That’s him!”

With that, (Y/N) took a good look, only to realize that it was Taehyung. Who happens to also be her favourite member. (Y/N) wasn’t disappointed that he has a child. Instead, she was happy that he never gave up and continued to persevere for his daughter.

“This is your dad?”

“Yeap! He is awesome isn’t he?” The little girl giggled.

“Yeah. He is.” (Y/N) replied with a smile when a familiar voice calls out to Lily from the class door.

“Uncle Sejinie!” Lily said as the man smiled to both (Y/N) and Lily.

(Y/N) returned the gesture, walking Lily to him. Once they were at the door, Lily went ahead to put on her shoe when the man said to the little girl.

“Lily ah, your father wants me to bring you to the company building. He wants to see you.” With that, she began to jump up and down excitedly while holding onto (Y/N)’s hands. The man glanced at their locked hands and frowned.

“But your teacher won’t be coming with us.”

Lily pouted sadly only to ask why, her voice laced with sadness. (Y/N) looked at the man and he was visibly feeling bad but she completely understood why.

“Lily, sweetheart, listen to me okay? I have no special connections with your dad so I can’t go in there. But you’ll still see me here everyday? Right?” (Y/N) tried to talk some sense into the little girl as Lily began to tear.

“B-But, I want you to meet Dada…”

“Next time okay sweetie?” (Y/N) said, only for Lily to nod. She gave (Y/N) a warm hug before waving goodbye to her.

The two of them soon left the centre while (Y/N) quickly packed her things and went to tidy the class a little before heading home. After she locked the centre, she slowly walked towards her car. She got in and soon drove off. But her mind drifted back to earlier.

“Is Taehyung a single dad then? Where is Lily’s mother? I feel so bad that she grew up without a mother figure…” These questions floated in her head as she drove back to her apartment.

But this didn’t make her look down on him. He was still human and humans make mistakes. No doubt, even though she found him to be the most charming and cutest member of Bangtan, she just couldn’t help but wonder just how adorable he would be with his daughter. She would probably melt if she saw how he is with Lily.

That same evening, Taehyung’s manager and Lily soon arrived at the Bighit building as his manager led her up to the 9th floor of the building.

He showed her which room they were in, only for her to run while the man held her bag for her. Lily reached for the door handle with a little jump. She pulled the door handle down and soon pushed the door open. The guys were just scattered around the room, practicing for the upcoming comeback in a few months.

“Dada!” Lily’s voice echoed in the room. She ran to Taehyung in a heartbeat. His face immediately lit up upon seeing his daughter, easily scooping her off the ground.

“My flower! Omg you’re here!” Taehyung said as he kissed her on her soft cheeks and also on her tiny lips, making the girl giggle.

The rest of them began to huddle around the parent and child as they took turns to greet the little girl. They ended up being distracted by her for a while but she listened to her father when he told her to wait quietly at the couch until he ended practice and she did exactly that.

She even fell asleep with Taehyung’s phone in her small hands while waiting for him. Taehyung took her to his dorm as she slept over there for the night since it was a weekend the next day and the guys were having two days off.

During the weekend, Lily couldn’t stop talking about (Y/N) even though she still calls her ‘Miss Pretty’ when talking to her dad about her.

Taehyung has been hearing all these nice stories of this teacher of Lily so he figured, maybe it was time to meet the person who has been taking very good care of his daughter when he’s busy working everyday and night. It was a Wednesday evening and Lily was just talking to (Y/N) at one of the tables as usual while waiting for her guardian to pick her up.

Just when she was about to tickle Lily for stealing her markers, a deep raspy voice spoke up from the entrance. A sense of familiarity to the voice lingers in her ear for a little too long.

(Y/N) glanced over to the door, only to see a young man standing there with a white mask over his nose and mouth but his eyes were too familiar for her not to recognize.

“Lily ah, Dada’s here.”

That’s when Taehyung finally locks eyes with (Y/N), only then he realizes how true his daughter described her to be. She was a lot cuter than he imagined with the genuine smile on her face as she joked around with his daughter.

With that being said, Lily gasped, running straight to Taehyung. (Y/N) watched as he scooped the little girl up swiftly, nuzzling his face in her small neck. (Y/N) giggled softly at the cute interaction between a father and a daughter. Once she was standing in front of the idol, she suddenly felt nervous and shy, in which he seemed to notice.

“Hi, you must be Lily’s dad. You can call me (Y/N), I’m Lily’s class teacher.” (Y/N) said, holding her hand out. Only for him to smile behind the mask. Taehyung took her hand in his and shook it gently before he introduced himself.

“Hi (Y/N), I’m Taehyung. Thanks for taking such good care of my little flower.” He said, only for him to feel a slight electric shock when their skins made contact for a little too long. They both pulled away sharply but then apologized. Just then, Lily spoke up.

“Yay! Does that mean Miss Pretty can see Dada more now?”

With that, (Y/N) choked on her own saliva while Taehyung’s eyes grew wide in shock.

“Lily…”

“Oh Dada, come on! I like Miss Pretty. Don’t you?” Her question came to them by surprise when he locked eyes with (Y/N) for a while but then a small smile appeared on his lips.

“I do, baby. Now enough of chatting. Let’s go. We wouldn’t want to hold Miss Pretty back from her rest now do we?” Taehyung said while Lily shook her head. However, (Y/N) was flustered when he used the nickname Lily gave her instead of her name. Taehyung flashed her a shy smile as he soon asked if she had a ride home. When she told him she drove there, he nodded.

“Alright then. Drive safely. Thank you again for everything you’ve done for Lily.”

“It’s my pleasure, Taehyung. Goodnight, and I’ll see you tomorrow pretty flower.” (Y/N) said. Tapping Lily’s nose, making the girl giggle. Only for the little girl to bury her face in Taehyung’s neck.

The next day, (Y/N) didn’t expect to see Taehyung again in the evening as he took his time to fetch Lily from the daycare centre although he was in the middle of practice. Slowly, this became a routine for him to come pick Lily up from school. At first his member’s were confused as to why he was suddenly eager to fetch his daughter almost everyday. But after a while, they knew exactly why.

Taehyung wanted to see (Y/N).

This went on for a few weeks with the both of them already exchanged numbers and he would sometimes video call her during lunch just so he could talk to Lily, and maybe (Y/N) too. The members have spoken to (Y/N) a few times before and some of them have even met her in person. All of them seemed to like her as a person.

However, it was Taehyung’s birthday today and the boys had to work. Taehyung apologized to (Y/N) through text saying that he probably couldn’t come and fetch Lily due to his busy schedule but she told him it was fine.

Little did he know, the boys had planned something to surprise the single father.

(Y/N) and Lily went to go get a small cake for Taehyung before heading to the company building. Once they managed to get in with the help of their manager, he brought them to the level where they were at.

(Y/N) prepared the cake and candles as she hid outside the practice room door while Lily hid on the opposite side of (Y/N). She texted Yoongi to get Taehyung out of the room and soon, when the door opened with a clueless Taehyung stepping out to leave, Lily and (Y/N) came out front to surprise him. The poor male jumped back in shock as he clutched to his chest.

Everyone began to sing for him the happy birthday song as they gathered around the door. A smile crept onto his face but he was still confused to see them there.

“Happy Birthday Dada!” Lily said after they finished singing for him while Taehyung glanced back and forth between the adult and the kid.

“Happy Birthday Taehyung.” (Y/N) wished as she held the cake in front of him.

“Make a wish.” She said, only for Taehyung to listen.

He closed his eyes and soon made a wish in his head before blowing the candles out. Everyone cheered before re-entering the room to celebrate briefly. They were all having bite after bite of the cake, only for Jungkook to whisper to Hoseok quietly while (Y/N) was talking to Seokjin and Yoongi.

“Wah hyung, she’s really pretty. She’d make such a cute couple with V hyung.”

“I agree. Plus, she’s already won Lily’s heart. It makes her one step closer to being Lily’s mother figure.” Hoseok said, seeing her giggle at Seokjin’s comment about her having to be stuck with Taehyung of all people. Their break time was about to end when (Y/N) spoke up, catching the attention of everyone else.

“I’m really thankful I got to be here and celebrate your birthday. Who would’ve thought I would be sitting here with a famous artist group huh?” They laughed at her words, telling her that they were happy she could feel even the slightest bit comfortable being with them as a normal person and not as an idol with a fan.

Just then, she took this chance to continue.

“Even so, I shouldn’t be here for too long. I don’t want people to get the wrong information.” This caused the boys to look at her in shock while some frowned.

“What do you mean? You’re leaving already?” Taehyung asks suddenly from beside her as she locks eyes with him. She found it hard to answer him so he continued.

“Stay… please.” His words were soft and almost as if he meant every bit of it without any hesitance in it.

“But-”

“I know you’re worried about our fans and the media, but I promise you’ll be safe.” His words brought so much comfort to her but for some reason, she was still afraid. So for the first time, Taehyung reached down to place a hand on top of her own that was resting in her lap while he gently caressed it with his thumb.

“Please stay (Y/N).” The room fell silent, the boys glancing back and forth between the two expectantly.

She didn’t feel right to reject him with how gentle he was being so she decided to give in.

“Okay…”

With that being said, the members smiled in victory as they soon cleaned up the place before going back to practice. As promised, (Y/N) stayed longer while the boys practiced their upcoming song. (Y/N) was just sitting with Lily at the couch, entertaining the little girl by watching a cartoon with her. Halfway through the cartoon, Lily began to yawn as (Y/N) turned to her in concern.

“Are you sleepy?” She asked, her voice slightly louder so she could hear past the music playing in the room.

Lily nodded as she turned to (Y/N) with her arms out. It was out instinct that (Y/N) immediately got up and rested her hands on Lily’s underarms before lifting her up. She puts Lily on her waist as the little girl wraps her arms around (Y/N)’s shoulders. Lily pressed her cheek on top of (Y/N)’s shoulder with (Y/N) supporting the girl by resting her arms under the girl’s thighs.

The boys were still focused on dancing when Taehyung noticed (Y/N) carrying Lily through the reflection.

She was swaying from side to side, gently patting Lily’s back to lull her to sleep. Since it was pretty noisy in the room, (Y/N) decided to bring Lily outside so that the little girl could sleep in peace. All the while, Taehyung watched as (Y/N) carried Lily out of the room quietly without interrupting the boys.

A few of the members noticed this too but they weren’t as focused as Taehyung. Almost an hour later, they decided to call it a day as they began to take a short rest while packing their stuff.

“They’re not back yet?” Taehyung asked when he realized (Y/N) and Lily weren’t in the room. The boys shook their heads, only for Taehyung to leave the practice room in search of his two precious gems. Only to find (Y/N) standing at the very end of the hallway, softly humming to a song.

Taehyung lightly jogged towards her as she turned around upon hearing his footsteps.

“We’re done with practice. Did you drive here?” He asked.

“Mhm.” The room fell silent for a bit before he spoke up.

“I really mean what I said earlier.” She looked at him in slight confusion before he explained himself.

“You don’t have to worry about anyone. I promise you’ll be safe. I’ll keep you safe.”

With that, she smiled as she reached up to cup his face, making him lean into her touch.

Both of them have yet to confess their honest feelings for each other but it was pretty obvious that they liked each other. However, because of his profession, it would be slightly hard for him to actually be open about being in a relationship with someone even though he wants to be in one with her.

But that didn’t stop them from being honest and true to one another while nobody else was looking. With that, Taehyung gently wraps his fingers around her wrist as he caresses her hand softly before he speaks up.

“I know this is a little much to ask, but is it okay if you let Lily stay at your place tonight, I have a busy schedule all day tomorrow and I can't put her at the daycare since it’s a weekend. My parents are out of town at the moment too.”

“Yeah sure. No problem Taehyung.” She said with a genuine smile.

“Thank you so much (Y/N). I’ll come pick her up after my schedule is over.”

“No worries Taehyung. Just give me a call before you come okay?”

“Okay.” With that, the 9 of them soon left the building as she took Lily with her.

A few weeks passed and both (Y/N) and Taehyung have been showing more and more intimacy but without any PDA. Whenever the boys were at their dorm, they would often ask when Taehyung would ask her out or make it official but it seems like he has too many things on his mind. But they didn’t rush him into things so that was good. Today however, was a little different.

(Y/N) got a text from Hoseok asking her to come to the company building saying that Taehyung injured himself during the practice and nobody was around to take care of Lily. With that being said, she quickly rushed over to the company. Once she arrived, she went to find the room.

The minute she pushed the door open, she was met with a very cute setting where there was a foldable table with a laptop, a picnic basket on top of the pretty blanket covers. She got confused as she stared at it for a second, only for someone to cover her eyes from behind. She gasped as she jumped back, crashing into a firm chest.

“What are yo-”

“Shh, it’s just me.” Taehyung’s voice resonated in her ear as she couldn’t help but giggle.

He guided her inside not before closing the door and lock it. After they were inside, she turned to him and faked a hurt expression.

“Hoseok told me you got injured. Why would you guys lie about that? I was so worried for you!” She said as he chuckled, finding her super adorable. Taehyung took her hand and led her to the layout where the picnic blanket was laid. They soon took a seat before he then spoke up.

“I know this isn’t a perfect first date, but I knew you’d feel uncomfortable if we were out in public because you know, with all the public eye and media…” With that, she looked at him. A tint of pink crept onto her cheeks.

“A d-date?”

“Oh, yeah, forgot to properly ask you out. Unless you don’t want this to be a date, I’m totally fine with it! You don’t have to-”

“It’s okay… I- I want this to be a date.” She confessed, making him smile as they soon continued with their indoor picnic date. Where they watched a movie in the dark while they cuddled on the blanket. Halfway through, she was feeling slightly cold since she only wore a crop top and jeans. Taehyung gave her his jacket but she was still cold so he offered to keep her warm.

She got flustered at first but then she decided to just go with it due to coldness.

Hence the reason why she was now snuggled in between his legs, her back resting against his chest while he had his arms around her body.

She slowly got distracted by him drawing lazy patterns onto her waist. Her head was just below his chin so if she tilted her head up to look at him, their faces wouldn’t be too far from each other. Just then, she gently rests her cold hands on top of his forearms, making him look down. That’s when she decided to be brave and look up.

Taehyung stared at her with a gentle smile on his face, glancing down to his lips. Her heart was beating so fast against her chest, she could almost feel as though he could hear it. Taehyung slowly leaned down, testing the waters to see if she would pull away.

When she didn’t move, that’s when he finally pressed his soft lips on hers. She closed her eyes in bliss as she reached up to cup his face. Taehyung pulled away with a soft sound before kissing her again. He was getting drunk in her lips when she turned her body slightly so that she wasn’t lying in an awkward position. Taehyung kissed her passionately before pulling away for the second time.

They left their faces so close to each other to let their lips graze against one another.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else to be the mother figure of my daughter.” Taehyung whispered as he locked eyes with her again. She smiled as she sneaked a kiss before she spoke up.

“I love that girl with all my heart, and you too.” Taehyung chuckled shyly as he kissed her again, the movie long forgotten by now.

#bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts fluff #v scenarios #kim taehyung scenario #taehyung fluff #taehyung imagine #taehyung x reader #bts taehyung

209 notes · View notes

holidaywishes · 3 years

Text

you finally made sense

Requested: 👍

Summary/Request: So Jacob Markstrom idea for whenever you’re ready. Because I am simple and just love the idea I would love to see how you would write friends to lovers but where Jacob has known for a while that he wanted more but the reader is much slower to come to a realization. Like maybe she realizes when someone makes a comment about how they are such a cute couple or something.

Warning: Google Translate, fluff, maybe some language?

Author’s Note: For some reason, this GIF doesn’t come up in the GIF search but I love it too much not to use, so I believe it’s from @droppedgloves and I want to thank them for it. It’s beautiful, thank you. Fun fact: I forgot what the ‘plan’ was after I wrote “here’s the plan” because I had to save it as a draft and do other stuff ��😂 I’m not super familiar with Markstrom, so I had to spend a good full day scrolling through YouTube to watch videos and interviews of him to get a sense of his personality so I could figure out how I wanted to write him and, here’s another fun fact: I didn’t realize that video of the goalie playing with dolls (you’re the better goalie, you’re the better goalie) was actually Markstrom so that made me giggle when I was watching stuff. @mandypants95 I hope this gives you a little bit of what you were looking for. Friends to Lovers is fun to write because of all the cliché’s that come with it so I hope everyone enjoys it, even just a little bit! It’s quite long, like I told mandypants, it kind of got away on me, so just prepare yourself 😂Stay golden, loves! <3

P.S. The names of Marky’s friends are not real people, -- he might have friends with these names but I have no idea, -- I just needed to make up some names for his friends 😜

P.P.S. If you keep seeing this appear after you’ve liked it, I’m sorry. Sometimes edits need to be done because of grammar (I hate when my fics have bad grammar) and if I do it on the app, sometimes the title doesn’t save so the link gets we-- it’s a whole thing.

masterlist

the other masterlist

You met Jake his first year playing with the Canucks but it wasn’t a natural friendship like he usually explained it to everyone. He was sweet, sure, but he was also very cocky; like he knew how good he was and was eager to make sure everyone else knew. It didn’t take long, though, for him to charm his way into your life.

“JAKE!” you called as you walked through his front door

“What’s up!” he yelled from the top of the stairs

“Here’s the plan:” you started to explain, “we’re going to this bar, you’re not going to run off and leave me alone with all these strangers, we’re gonna leave when either of us decides that we’re done, got it?”

“It’s a party, (Y/N),” he laughed, “we have to interact with them”

“I know and it’s your birthday,” you added, “I’m just saying, I don’t know your friends. You can read me, I can read you, so just help me out a little, okay?”

“Fine” he sighed sarcastically before running down the stairs to meet you, bumping your arm lightly with his shoulder before walking into the kitchen to grab a glass of water

“Good” you smiled

“Great” he teased

“Look,” you sighed, leaning against his counter while he practically chugged his water, “don’t be weird. Don’t wear a suit and make me feel under-dressed, just wear jeans and a t-shirt”

“It’s my birthday party...” you scoffed

“I know, so just be comfortable” you grinned and he shook his head

“God, you’re so demanding today” he joked

“I have to be or you won’t listen to me”

“You know me too well, I guess” he smiled, forcing an exaggerated eye roll from you before you turned on your heels to make your way home. “Wait, you’re leaving?”

“Yeah” you scoffed

“You just came over to boss me around and leave? Like this couldn’t have been done over text?”

“I have to go get changed!” you laughed

“What?” he chuckled, “you just told me to dress casual”

“I know because I know you,” you admitted, “you’ll still show up looking like you’re going to some fancy event. Even in ripped jeans and a ratty t-shirt”

“I won’t” he smiled

“You will. Just let me go home and put on a dress. I’ll meet you there”

“You’ll text me when you get there?”

“As soon as the Uber turns the corner” you smirked

“Okay, see you there.”

Jacob’s P.O.V

You waited outside the bar for (Y/N) to show up for your birthday party that your friends from Sweden came in for but she was taking forever

“Where are you?” you asked impatiently

“I told you I’d text you when I was there” she sent back

“Yeah, but you were supposed to be here like 20 minutes ago!”

“There was traffic. I can’t control the traffic”

“Oh I’m sure you could if you tried”

“Yeah well, maybe next time”

“Are you close?”

“The car is just turning the corner now”

“Finally” you watched as cars paced by the bar until one black Lexus pulled up in front of you and (Y/N) stepped out slowly. Your eyes couldn’t help but follow her as she walked toward you, completely enthralled by the deep blue colour of her dress as it swished side to side. “Wait” you stopped her from walking into the bar, ahead of you

“What?” she sighed as she stepped back in front of you

“Why are you allowed to dress like that,” you gestured to her before gesturing to your outfit, “and I have to dress like this?”

“Because,” she started, a smile creeping across her face, “these are your friends. They’ve never met me before and I want to make a good impression”

“But it’s not like they need to approve of you,” you smirked, “we’re not dating”

“Oh I know,” she scoffed, “but if I look good, that makes you look good. They’ll know that you’re not failing over here because you hang out with awesome people like me” she turned and walked into the bar, grabbing your arm so she could drag you in after her. Her laugh, paired with her warm touch, sent your heart racing and you hoped she would hold onto you longer but as soon as your friends greeted you, she let go

“GRATTIS PÅ FÖDELSEDAGEN!” they shouted, grabbing you and practically tossing you back and forth between them before you noticed (Y/N)’s uncomfortable expression. You moved your hand to rest on her back

“Guys, this is my friend, (Y/N),” you said, pushing her forward so they could see her, “(Y/N), this is George, Niklas, Ollie, Sam, Malcolm, Dustin, Eric and Corey”

“Wow,” she exhaled with a laugh, looking at you as she tried to think of something to say, “forgive me if I mix up your names. Jake moves a lot faster than I do”

“Guess that’s what makes him a good goalie?” Ollie joked and (Y/N) nodded

“So you guys are just friends?” Dustin pried

“Yes” (Y/N) was quick to answer and you hoped that none of the boys noticed your face fall

“Let’s get some drinks!” Niklas exclaimed, directing (Y/N) to the bar while the rest of you followed behind them

“Så är du verkligen bara vänner?” George started, speaking Swedish so (Y/N) wouldn’t be able to understand

“Ja” you scoffed

“Av eget val?” Corey asked

“Så klart det är” you countered

“Ja? Din eller hennes?” Dustin teased

“What are you boys gossiping about?” (Y/N) laughed before you could answer, catching your eyes and a pathetic smile as the group sat at the bar

“They’re just asking when I’m gonna win the cup” you lied

“Did you guys meet here? In Calgary?” Ollie asked her, ignoring your lie

“No, actually we met in Vancouver,” she admitted with a smile, “in 2016?”

“Yep,” you added, “the end of 2016. We were instant friends”

“No we weren’t” she laughed

“What?!” you said, shocked at her confession

“Ooh, Jakey, what did you do?” Malcolm teased

“Nothing! I was a complete gentleman” you tried

“No he was,” she laughed, placing her hand on your arm to reassure you, “you were. He was very sweet but he knew I knew who he was and I didn’t really wanna give in to it, you know what I mean? But we kinda stayed in touch for a couple days, had lunch with some of my friends, he got us tickets to a game and made us feel welcome and all that. It was all very sweet”

“So what was the issue?” Malcolm asked, as if he knew something had changed

“I got a job in Calgary. I had moved to Vancouver for University but I was about to graduate and the island was a little too expensive to live on after having the loans I had. So when I moved back to Calgary, we just kinda couldn’t really become friends” she replied

“But obviously you did” Corey added

“He found me on Instagram and added me,“ she laughed and you could feel your face fill with heat, “then he just wouldn’t leave me alone”

“And then he got traded here” Sam finally added, earning a round of laughs from everyone when they realized he hadn’t said anything

“Then he got traded here. During a Pandemic, in the weirdest season of Hockey I’ve ever witnessed” she laughed

“She flipped when I told her”

“I hadn’t kept up with the trade deadline” she added

“So she was in the middle of a Zoom call or something” you continued, the two of you now telling the story together

“When I get this text”

“I wrote, purposely very cryptically, I’m coming to see you”

“And I was obviously very creeped out”

“But she still replied”

“Well, I had to figure out what the hell he was talking about!” she laughed, pushing your shoulder playfully

“Sure but you could’ve just been like ‘this is a joke’ and left it at that” you teased before she rolled her eyes

“Anyway…” she smirked, “I sent back a message asking what the hell he was talking about”

“So I told her I got traded and she sent a voice note practically screaming”

“I was excited”

“I was nervous but I was happy that I’d have a friend in the city outside of hockey”

“So I asked him when he was going to get into the city, to see if we could meet up”

“I told her”

“But then Alberta went into a weird quasi-lockdown and I didn’t want to get him in trouble”

“So we FaceTimed”

“Which we’d obviously done a million times over the years”

“We caught up”

“Planned to get together”

“Which we did, pretty soon after, and now here we are”

“Here you are” George interjected, leading you and (Y/N) to laugh awkwardly before each taking a sip from your respective drinks and Niklas pointed out a booth where everyone could sit and talk without having to crane your necks. After a while, and a few more cocktails, everyone seemed to be getting along which, honestly, made you smile; something that Ollie was all too quick to notice.

"I'll be right back" (Y/N) said with a smile before she started to push you out of the booth, leaving you with your friends and their very obvious questions

"Before you say anything," you smirked, "just don't"

"Come on" George laughed

"If you already know what we're going to say, why don't you answer the question?" Sam added

"Come on, Jakey" Malcolm teased

"Säg det" Corey added

"Säg vad?" you played dumb

"Kom igen..." Eric continued

"Ingen aning om vad du pratar om..."

"Hur länge har du älskat henne?" Dustin finally asked

"Hey!" you exclaimed when you saw (Y/N), trying to get them to forget about the question

"Hi," she said, caught off guard by your excitement, "everything okay?"

"Yeah" you answered, letting her back in before you squeezed in next to her

"You sure?" she said, furrowing her brow

"Yeah! We just wanted to get another round but wanted to make sure you were here before we did..."

"You're a terrible liar" she laughed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and exposing her neck

"Så... ska du berätta för henne att du älskar henne eller måste någon av oss göra det?" Sam said, causing (Y/N)'s head to ping pong back and forth between the two of you, as if she was trying to understand what he said to you

"What did he say?" she asked you, leaning into you, causing your cheeks to flush with heat

"Nothing," you said, distracted by her peach-scented shampoo and the way she didn't move away from you, clearing your throat when you realized that you were almost moving toward her, "they're just teasing me. You all have that in common”

“Yeah, something tells me that’s not what he said” she smirked, her eyes dancing between yours before she sat back up and continued talking with the guys; they told her stories about how you were as a kid, she laughed and said that you hadn’t changed at all.

“It was nice to meet you, (Y/N),” Malcolm said, “take care of him while we’re gone okay?”

“I will” she smiled

“Take care of yourself, too” Corey added

“Thanks”

“And you,” George pointed to you with a smirk, “you take care of her”

“Yeah yeah yeah” you joked

"Vi är seriösa, J," Niklas said, "Hon är för bra för dig men om du tar hand om henne ..."

"Då vet du..." Sam added, raising his eyebrows as (Y/N) called a cab

"Allvarligt killar, sluta" you sighed

"Du älskar henne" Ollie whispered

"Berätta bara för henne," Dustin said while Eric nodded his head

"Det är inte så enkelt" you sighed, watching (Y/N) continue to try to hail a cab and fail, dropping her head in annoyance

“Come on!” you heard her yell, earning a scoff from you

”Har jag varit kär i henne i ungefär två år? Ja," you confessed, "spelar det någon roll? Nej, för hon känner inte samma sak om mig och jag tänker inte tvinga henne att känna något hon inte gör”

"Tycker du inte att hon förtjänar att veta det?" Sam asked

"Vi såg hur hon såg på dig," Ollie grinned, "Jag tror att det finns några känslor där"

"Jag tror inte det" you sighed once more, looking over at (Y/N) who had successfully hailed a cab

“Jake!!” she called excitedly, a huge smile spread across her face, “come on! It was nice to meet you guys!” she called to your friends and they waved her goodbye, “Jake, I can’t keep this guy waiting forever!”

"Du bör gå" George laughed

"Hon är så bossig" Corey joked

"Ja, det är hon" you smirked, looking at her calling you to the small yellow car and telling the driver to wait just one more minute. ”Okej killar, jag måste gå. Tack för att du kom in för att önska mig en grattis på födelsedagen,” you smiled, “Ha en säker flygning tillbaka”

"Kommer att göra, Jakey," Malcolm said

“Hallå!” Niklas interrupted one last time, "Berätta bara för henne"

“Adjö” you shook your head before smiling and waving them goodbye

“Geez! Took you long enough!” (Y/N) whined, hopping into the backseat of the cab with you close behind

“Relax, I had to say goodbye. They came a long way” you replied

“Such a good friend,” she said, “can I just stay at your place tonight? I’m exhausted”

“Yeah that’s fine” you agreed, letting your hand fall next to hers, brushing her skin with your pinky and waiting for someone to break the silence

“Where to?” the driver finally asked, bringing your attention to him before giving him your address

“Your friends were nice,” (Y/N) added wearily, “they didn’t really like to talk in English though did they?”

“Their Swedish is better”

“That’s fair” she yawned, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the window. You smiled as thoughts of how your life could be with her — falling asleep next to her, caressing her skin as she slept, pushing her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear so you could kiss her softly — but you knew she didn’t feel the same, so all you would ever be was friends.

You fell asleep in the cab next to Jacob but you could swear you felt him watching you. He did wake you up, gently, when the cab pulled up in front of his apartment.

“(Y/N)?” he whispered, “hey”

“Hi. What’s going on?”

“It’s time to go inside” he smirked

“Oh” you scoffed, pushing yourself across the bench seat and stepping out of the cab, stumbling into Jacob when you finally stood up

“Whoa” he chuckled, placing his arm around your waist to keep you from falling

“I’m sorry,” she whined as you both stepped into the elevator, leaning back against the cold metal and away from Jake. “I didn’t think I drank that much but I guess I couldn’t keep up with you guys”

“It’s okay,” he laughed and you started to drift off to sleep again, “hey, we’re almost to my place, don’t fall asleep here okay?”

“Okay” you hummed before he started to keep you awake by telling you jokes. “Oh my god, Jake, stop!” you laughed, “your jokes are awful”

“Hey! My jokes are pure gold” he countered

“Sure they are” you scoffed. When the elevator finally opened, you slowly walked out, swaying and stumbling through the hallway before Jake eventually placed his hands on your waist and guided you to the door

“Alright, here we are. Come on, drunky”

“Why aren’t you more drunk?” you finally asked, only now noticing that he seemed very sober

“I’m twice your size,” he laughed, “I can manage a bit more alcohol than you”

“Yeah but you’re like… sober. Like you didn’t drink at all” you questioned before stumbling into his chest

“Oh-kay, let’s just get you to sleep,” he said, carrying you to his bedroom

“Hey mister,” you slurred, “what do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m putting you in bed” he said

“This is your bed, I don’t know what kind of ideas you have in your little Swedish brain”

“Don’t worry, kid,” he scoffed, setting you down on the firm mattress before tucking you under the covers, “I’ll be in the guest room”

“Wait!” you called as he started walking away, “happy birthday” you smiled, realizing you hadn’t said it to him nearly all-day

“Thanks,” he whispered and you saw him smile while he began closing the door, “now get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” The next morning, you heard him in the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as possible, rummaging around the cabinets

“Hey sleepy head!” he exclaimed

“Oh wow,” you replied softly, rubbing your temples, “why are you yelling like that?”

"I'm sorry," he whispered but it still felt like yelling, "am I annoying you?"

"What are you doing?" you asked, glaring at him while you sat down on the stool at the kitchen island

"I'm making pancakes!" he smiled

"You can't cook" you groaned, still rubbing your temples in hopes that it would cure your hangover

"Wow, rude," he joked, throwing a metal spoon into his sink and you shuddered at the ringing of the steel that echoed through the room, "do you want some aspirin?"

"Yes please" you smiled gratefully

"Here" he said, handing you a glass of water and two small pills

"Thank you," you said and he saluted you lazily, earning a scoff from you, "so what's going on today? Post birthday plans?"

"My mom is calling in soon and then I have to go to practice, we've got a game tomorrow. In Vancouver, so we're flying out this afternoon," he replied, keeping his eyes on the food in front of him while he spoke, "so the day is pretty much set..."

"Oh," you said, clearing your throat as you finished your glass of water, "okay. I'll just... leave you to it then"

"What?" he scoffed, "I didn't mean it li-- you're not gonna stay and talk to my mom? You know she loves you more than she loves me"

"Well, I am very lovable," you teased, smiling at him until your headache forced you to stop, "but I don't want to intrude or anything. I'll just grab my phone and get an Uber so I can head home"

"Stop it," he huffed, turning off the burner and walking over to you, "I'll drive you home later, just stay and chat with me and Mom" he placed his hands on your arms before his eyes focused on your own and you found yourself unable to resist his insistence; your pursed smile giving it away before you could

"Fine," you finally said, "I'll stay."

"Good" he smirked, turning back to grab you a pancake, practically tossing the plate to you. When his mom finally Facetimed him, he was in the other room so you were forced to greet her first

"Hey, Lena!" you exclaimed

"(Y/N)! Darling! How are you?" she asked, her smile so much like her sons

"I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm good! Thank you for asking," she smiled, looking past you for Jake, "now, where is my son?"

"He's probably off puking somewhere," you joked, "he really can't handle his alcohol in his old age"

"His tolerance must have lowered since moving to Canada"

"Especially when the actual alcohol percentages are so low compared to Sweden"

"I'm disappointed in him" she laughed

"Me too!" you added, laughing with her before Jake finally walked into frame, standing behind you with his arms on either side of you and his chin resting on the top of your head

"Alright you two," he smirked, "stop making fun of me"

"It's your fault," you teased, tilting your head so you were looking up at him directly, "not being in the room and all"

"When will I learn?" he joked, looking down at you before making a funny face

"Never. You'll never learn. You're impossible" you laughed, sticking your tongue out at him as he pushed your shoulder and sat down in the seat beside you

"You two are so sweet" Lena smirked

"Ma..." Jake sighed

"We are sweet, aren't we?" you replied, noticing both Lena and Jacob shake their heads; granted, with different expressions on their face

"It's not--" he started, exasperated after having clearly had this conversation with his mom more than once

"What's wrong?" you asked, confused

"I think you're the most adorable couple I've ever seen, honestly" Lena admitted and you scoffed, a blush creeping into your cheeks

"Oh, whoa," you smiled, "Jake, have you been going around telling your parents we're dating?"

"No" he sighed, closing his eyes lightly as if he was embarrassed

"I've been trying to get him to ask you out for months now but he won't do it" she teased

"Well, he wouldn't," you said, looking between the mother and son, "because we're just friends. He wouldn't want to ruin that"

"Alright mom," he said, over the back and forth, "enough of this conversation. I've got to take (Y/N) home, okay? Love you, thanks for the chat"

"Hey, Jacob!" Lena yelled before he could end the call, "we haven't spoken, don't hang up on me like that"

"I'll just.. go wait outside" you whispered, watching him sit down in front of his computer to await the disappointed words that his mom would soon say to him. You waited outside for a few minutes before checking if his truck was unlocked, sitting on the step when you saw that it wasn't and realizing that if you tried to open the door, the alarm would go off. It was another hour before Jacob finally came outside to meet you

"Sorry about that" he sighed

"That's okay. She called to talk to you, I'd be upset too if someone tried to hang up on me when I specifically called t--"

"Yeah, I get it," he said through bared teeth, "let's just go, okay? I have to be at practice soon" you furrowed your brow but got into the passenger seat, looking at him take a deep breath before starting the car. You thought about the words his mother used when she spoke about you and Jacob. You two are so sweet, the most adorable couple I've ever seen, I've been trying to get him to ask you out for months. It was all kind of odd to you. Not only that Lena had said it, or that she and Jake had clearly had the conversation before, but that he was so irritated by the whole interaction. Why was he so upset? you thought to yourself. Did he think you were embarrassed? Did he think that you would be hurt that he had never agreed to take you out on a date? Or was there something that he had said to Lena that he didn't want you to hear?

"Jake?" you said, as he drove through the city silently but he didn't respond. Soon enough, he pulled up outside of your apartment building and you hesitated before finally jumping out of the car, with just enough time to clear the door before Jake sped away from you. What the fuck? you scoffed, heading inside in hopes of clearing your head. You spent the day racking your brain about what could have gotten Jake so upset but nothing came to mind; nothing you said was rude, or at least you didn't think it was, and everything was true, so what was his deal?

"Tell me exactly what happened?" your friend, Susie, asked from the other end of the phone after you had explained the morning to her

"Again?" you whined

"Yes, again, I need to know if you're missing something"

"We went for drinks last night, for his birthday, with his friends. We all laughed and had a good time. I drank too much, stayed at his place, in separate rooms. When I woke up, we joked around like we always do, he gave me some aspirin and made some pancakes before his mom called from Sweden" you exclaimed, smirking to yourself a little while you thought of the conversation you and Lena had before Jake came back into the room. "She loves me, so we joked about Jake a bunch but then he came into the room, stood behind me and rested his chin on my head. I looked up at him and we teased each other a bit more. Lena said we were sweet, I said yeah of course but Jake seemed to.. argue with her? I don't know, Lena kept going saying that we made a cute couple but I corrected her, saying we were just friends. My exact words were to Jake 'have you been going around telling your parents we're dating?' to which he said No and then Lena said she's been trying to get him to ask me out for a while but he's always said no"

"And what did you say...?" Susie interjected, her tone telling you that she was hearing something that you clearly weren't

"I said that he wouldn't ask me out because we were just friends," you replied plainly. It was the truth, what was wrong with that? "and that he wouldn't want to ruin that"

"He wouldn't?" she questioned with a scoff before continuing, "fine. What happened after that?"

"Things got weird and tense. I let them talk alone and then he drove me home in a weird mood. He barely talked to me, he barely even looked at me!"

"(Y/N)..." she sighed, "(Y/N), (Y/N), (Y/N)..."

"What? What? What?" you scoffed in reply

"HOW ARE YOU SO BLIND?!" she shouted through the phone, forcing you to pull it from your ear for a minute

"What are you talking about?"

"I've seen it for years," she said, "but I always thought you knew. But you really don't, do you?"

"Know what? What have you seen for years?"

"The way you'd stop everything when he called, the way you'd schedule FaceTimes like clockwork, the way he knows your favourite colour as it changes from week to week. The fact that he could have anyone he wanted, who would want him back, but he chooses to ask you to hang out with him all the time, from a different province? A different time zone?" she explained but you were still lost

"We're friends. We like hanging out with each other and we can't really do that in person because of what's happening now. Plus, he's so busy..."

"(Y/N)!!!" she yelled again, "COME ON!"

"JUST SPIT IT OUT! I'm clearly not gonna get what you're trying to get me to get..."

"He's been in love with you for years. Probably since the two of you started really getting to know each other," she said and the words hung in the air as you tried to grasp them, "but when you said that you were just friends? He probably thought that he was never going to be anything more than that to you. Maybe he thinks he's wasted his time all these years"

"He's not in love with me" was all you could think to say

"Yes, he is," she laughed, "and you're in love with him"

"Now, hold on," you scoffed, "I'm pretty sure I would know if I were in love with somebody"

"Would you?"

"Of course I would"

"Fine," she replied, seemingly dropping the conversation, "but he is in love with you and I think you need to talk to him about it"

"And say what?" you asked

"I don't know..." she said, her smirk ever present on her words, "but I'm sure you'll think of something"

"Susi--"

"I gotta go," she interrupted, "keep me in the loop. Love you, bye!"

"WAIT!" you shouted to a now static line, "well what the fuck...?" you said to yourself. You were left alone with the thought that Jake might have feelings for you and the words that Susie tried to convince you were true

"You're in love with him, too" it was nonsense. You couldn't love Jake... It was Jake. He was Jacob Markström. Was there a part of you that found him attractive? Yes. Yeah, sure but were you in love with him? No. No, there's no way.

"FUCK!" you shouted to your empty apartment, as you paced through the living room, "why would she say that? It doesn't matter. I don't love him. I mean, he's Jake. He's just the guy who teases me for literally every move I make. So, he knows that my favourite colour changes every week, who cares? That doesn't mean anything. Sure, you knew that he loves Country music more than he's actually confessed in his interviews, but that's just what happens when you're friends with someone. And, yes, when the light hit him just right, he looked like he was covered in gold but that's not him. That's the sun... It's not like he's a god or anything, he's just got blonde hair and the sun does stuff to blonde hair..." you could feel yourself making excuses but you had to because maybe you didn't want it to be true. You couldn't be in love with him, could you? "Fuck" you sighed.

Jacob's P.O.V

You had been ignoring (Y/N) for almost a week at this point. You weren’t sure what to do or say to her knowing now, for sure, that she only thought of you as friends but you hated not having her around. She had become such an integral part of your life and not having her there just felt... wrong

“Jake, talk to me, please!” she texted and you sighed, staring at your phone and contemplating an answer but you just couldn’t think of something to say, “JAKE! I know you’re getting these messages. Just let me talk to you please. If you don’t want to say anything fine but I need to talk to you”

“Are you gonna leave me alone if I let you talk?” you finally gave in

“Yes,” she sent back, “but I need to see you to say all of this...”

“Seriously?” you scoffed

“Yes. Seriously. Please?”

“Fine. When are you free?”

“Right now!” she replied quickly

“I can’t right now. I literally just walked into the locker room, how about tomorrow?”

“How about after practice? I can meet you at the Dome...”

“Fine” you huffed to yourself

“Everything okay?” Tanny asked when he heard your exasperation

“Yeah” you sighed, holding up your phone to let him know that it was something on there

“Great!” (Y/N) added, “I’ll see you at four?”

“Yeah sure, fine” you tossed your phone into the shelf in your stall and rubbed your face in frustration

“Yo, Marky...” Chris continued, noticing your stress, “seriously man, what’s going on?”

“(Y/N) wants to meet up and ‘talk’” you replied, putting air quotes around talk

“The girlfriend wants to break up huh?” he chirped and you scoffed, shaking your head in return

“I’ve been ignoring her for like a week. I don’t know what to say to her... I’ve been able to hide my feelings for her for so long but she finally said to my mom, on my birthday, that all we’ll ever be is friends and, I don’t know, I just don’t know what to say to her. I don’t know if I can hide how I feel anymore”

“She has feelings for you, too” he said

“Yeah.. she thinks of me as a big brother”

“No,” he countered, “she has the same feelings for you as you do for her. She’s just scared to admit it”

“Why would she be scared to admit it?” you said dumbly

“Because,” he smirked, “it would mean admitting that guys and girls can’t just be friends. That there’s always some kind of attraction and that sex gets in the way”

“Sex?” you blushed

“I’m not saying you’ve had sex or that you’re going to,” he admitted, “I’m just saying, I’ve met (Y/N) before and she’s always said that she doesn’t agree with the idea that guys and girls can’t be friends because someone always wants to sleep with someone else. But if she admits to having feelings for you, then all of that becomes... hypocritical”

“She wouldn’t be that petty...”

“I wouldn’t call it petty,” he said, heading back toward his stall to continue putting on his gear, “I would call it stubborn.” By the end of practice, you were looking for (Y/N) everywhere but there was no one in the stands and you figured she must have wanted to meet you in the parking lot so you could drive her somewhere private. You took a quick shower and packed up your bag, looking at your phone quickly to see if there was anything from her but your screen was clear, forcing your brow to crease in response

“Take it easy, guys” you smiled as you made your way out of the locker room, waving to the team before catching Tanny give you a head nod. You practically ran out of the building to find (Y/N) when you saw her arguing with a security guard

“Oh, Jake! Finally. I’ve been arguing with this guy for like an hour. He wouldn’t let me in!” she explained through gritted teeth

“It’s fine. Thank you,” you said to the guard, pulling her away from him and toward your car, “what is wrong with you? You can’t argue with Security, you’re tiny. You’re not a threat, you just look like a chihuahua”

“Ha ha” she replied sarcastically

“Am I taking you somewhere to talk or what’s going on?” you spat

“Do you wanna go somewhere?” she asked

“I wanna know what you wanna talk about and then maybe I can decide if we should go somewhere” you admitted, stomping off to your car

“I wanna talk about us” she whimpered as she caught up to you. You caught her eye for just a second before shaking your head

“Get in the car” you scoffed and she did as you told her. The two of you were silent for a while before (Y/N) tried to get you to start talking but you shushed her, keeping the ride silent aside from the radio until you got to relatively empty part of Prince’s Island Park. “Alright,” you said sternly as you slammed the door shut, “talk”

“I...” she hesitated, closing the door lightly

“What?”

“I never--”

“Never meant to hurt me?” you interrupted thinking you were finishing her thought

“I never wanted to be with you...” she admitted and you scoffed in return

“Wow... thanks. Glad we could have this talk”

“No, wait, Jake, stop,” she sighed, “I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t realize how you felt until like a week ago. Apparently, everyone else around me knew but I was too stupid to see it. I thought we both wanted the same thing”

“And that was to never be with each other?”

“I thought we just wanted a friend”

“Because I can’t get my own friends?”

“Because I didn’t think you thought of me like that” she shouted

“Why not?” you exclaimed

“You never really did anything to make me think otherwise!”

“Sure I did!”

“Jake... come on. You never did anything differently...”

“I drove you places” you tried and she scoffed

“Oh no, you’re right,” she teased, “how could I not have known?”

“How about me calling on Valentine’s Day?”

“How was I supposed to know that was anything other than you having a day off?” It was a fair point, actually. She knew that you’d often lose track of days when you were on the road and, sometimes, you’d miss holidays altogether

“I never forgot your birthday!” you said as if that proved something

“And?”

“And... you should’ve known then”

“Jake, it doesn’t matter,” she sighed, “the point is that I didn’t notice until now.”

“So what?” you asked, “you wanted to talk to tell me that you never wanted to be with me? I don’t get why you couldn’t just wait for me to come to you or why you had to stop everything for this”

“Jake..”

“I mean no, you didn’t stop everything but you might as well have”

“Jake...” you heard her say, trying to get you to stop but you continued rambling

“But that’s what I do. For you. I drop everything as soon as you call or text because you need me and I like that you need me, so I stop and run to you”

“Jacob!”

“WHAT?”

“I LOVE YOU, TOO” she shouted over you, her eyes closing softly when she realized how loud she was. “I didn’t realize it until I looked back at everything and I didn’t think it was actually how I felt because, I mean, it’s you...” she chuckled, “and it’s me. We couldn’t be an ‘us’ but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted there to be an ‘us.‘ I knew you were mad, you weren’t taking my calls or responding to my texts -- even though I saw that you had read them -- and I didn’t want to make things worse but I hated not having you around to tell me that I burnt my pizza, again, or that I should eat more fish or that I was a terrible tour guide. I hated not hearing your voice everyday or seeing your smile,” you began walking toward her as she continued to ramble, your heart warm with each word that left her lips, “I was always confused why you weren’t with anyone and why I was happy that you never were but when I figured it out, everything made sense. You finally made sense...” she stopped when you stood in front of her, closing any space between the two of you

“You done?” you asked with a smirk

“I-I think so...” she stammered as your hands crept to the sides of her neck, your thumb pushing her chin up so you could lean down and capture her lips slowly. She welcomed your lips as if they had been missing from hers for a lifetime but her arms stayed at her sides for a minute longer until it was too much for her and she let her hands clutch your wrists while your tongue glided across her lip to gain access inside her mouth. She let out a small moan when her mouth opened, earning a smirk from you before your hands fell from her neck, down her body, until they cupped her ass and you picked her up; her legs instinctively wrapping your hips, mirroring her arms wrapping around your neck. You set her down on the hood of your car while your tongues intertwined with each other and her fingers tangled in your hair. It took a while for either of you to break the kiss, leaving her chest heaving as she tried to her breath

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long” you laughed as her head fell against your chest and you kissed her forehead

“And?” she asked, lifting her head back up to look at you

“It was better than I thought it would be”

“Gee,” she scoffed, pushing your shoulder playfully, “thanks”

“I think we just need to keep doing it” you teased

“I can do that”

“Good” you whispered, leaning back in to press a kiss to her lips as she smiled against your lips

“Maybe we should go somewhere private” she whispered

“Sure” you replied, distracted by the feel of her skin under your fingertips, before you moved your lips to her neck, eliciting small whimpers from her

“Jake...” she moaned and you hummed against her skin, smirking to yourself, “somewhere private...”

“Fine,” you smirked, reluctantly agreeing with you before picking her up again to carry her back into the passenger seat. You sat in the drivers seat but didn’t make any moves, half hoping that she’d pull you into the backseat and say that this was ‘private enough’ but she didn’t do that. Instead, she leaned across the centre console and kissed your cheek

“Let’s go” she whispered in your ear, making you smile before your hand found its way to her knee, stationing itself there throughout the drive. She stopped you from moving your hand further up your thigh by grabbing it, holding it with both of hers

“Hey,” you whispered, bringing her hand to your lips, “we’re gonna have a lot of fun together”

“Yeah,” she smiled, “I think so, too.”

#Jacob Markström #Jacob Markstrom #Jacob Markstrom Imagine #Jacob Markstrom fic #Jacob Markström Imagine #Jacob Markström fic #NHL #Hockey #Calgary Flames #Hockey Fic #Hockey Imagine #Vancouver Canucks #Flames #Canucks #Friends to Lovers #masterlist #the other masterlist

134 notes · View notes

princessofprocrastination · 3 years

Text

She’s Creepy (Dream)

MASTERLIST

pairing : dream / clay x reader.

summary : apparently being a huge fan of a big youtuber is considered being a creep, according to minecraft gamer, dream. and ever since he called you mean things, your world turned upside down. (ANGST) (TRIGGER WARNING)

a/n : i’m aware i’ve been writing all angsts, i just enjoy a little heartbreak. this is a two part story!

you haven’t been on social media as a public figure for long, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t been on social media before this.

you knew people, you had people you look up to, as of many other social media influencers or content creators.

you grew pretty quick on youtube and instagram. your content mostly included room makeovers whenever you felt bored of your own home or your storytimes. you blew up from talking about your stalker.

since then, your subscibers stayed with you and supported you, saying that you have a charm, and that you exert good energy and vibes. and those type of comments have always made your day.

you always shared with your supporters about your life, not too personal but enough for them to feel included. of course, you’re not telling them your phone number or address, but you tried to share as many details you can legally in your story times.

that also meant that you would tell your supporters small details about you, such as what book you were currently reading or who you’ve been watching on youtube.

even before you stated posting on your channel, you’ve been watching a minecraft youtuber, dream and his friends.

some of your fans would tag them in some of your instagram posts, or tweets that brought no harm so you never really acknowledged it since it wasn’t hurting anyone.

you weren’t “fangirling” you’d say. it was more of you supported them and found them funny and entertaining.

coincidentally, you landed yourself on the dream team tiktok, which means that dream and his friends were all over you for you page.

and to show that you were active and not dead to your followers on instagram, you’d post a funny tiktok, usually included the dream team. you thought it was harmless. to you, it was just a way to show support.

but only a couple days later, hashtags about you and the dream team, more specifically, just dream, were trending.

when you saw this, opening your twitter app, you immediately went to find out what this was about. your heart jumped when you thought maybe dream acknowledged you.

in fact, it was worse.

what was trending was a short video clip during one of the dream teams chill streams on the dream smp.

the conversation between george, sapnap and dream went like this.

“you guys heard about that girl who kept reposting tiktoks about us on her instagram story?” george asked the other two boys.

“heard she watched us before she even started her channel” sapnap.

“i don’t know about you guys, but i think she’s being a little creepy.” dream said.

your heart sunk to your stomach. did your actions portray you to be a creep to other people?

“dream, you can’t just say that, especially on stream.” sapnap scolded him, george also mumbling something.

“why can’t i? i feel creeped out by her, a public figure posting me all over her socials.” dream replied, tone serious.

you clicked off the video, before it replayed again. you couldn’t get yourself to rewatch that, to hear those words again.

almost crying, you told yourself to suck it up, that this wasn’t worth you crying.

although they were who you looked up as minecraft gamers, this wasn’t worth your breakdowns.

that was until, you opened your direct messages.

you shouldn’t have. you knew the dream team stans would easily hunt you down, to ask you to back off from creeping their idol off.

but no, you still opened your dms. you expected a normal dm, ones that say they support you or some of your friends sending you memes through instagram.

what you didn’t expect was to see a flood of threats.

some said “kill yourself, you don’t deserve a spot on earth after what you did.” and “back off and leave my mans.”

it got worse from there. you thought maybe it’s just the dms, but you didn’t expect it to blow up more, with people tagging you with photos on instagram and twitter. people “cancelling” you.

you didn’t understand how this blew up like this. you were even more baffled to see some of your supporters sending you threats, too.

was this what you deserved?

you weren’t one to make rash decisions, nor were you a suicidal person.

you felt stupid. just because you supported big youtubers, you get this type of treatment?

the threats, the dm, never stopped. for three whole months, you had to deal with the never ending mean comments on your social media. you thought it would die down.

it came to the point of seeing your address and your phone number all over the internet. you never thought it would lead to this.

you didn’t know what to do anymore.

not long after, people started showing up to your apartment.

sure, your apartment didn’t have the best of security, which you blamed no one but yourself for being a public figure and living somewhere with little to no security.

they started with knocking on your door during ungodly hours. next was mailing weird stuff or sending stuff to your house. lastly, which tipped you off was that they would vandalize your apartment.

they would egg your front door, pee, or spray paint your walls of the outside.

you couldn’t handle it anymore.

soon enough, you knew you had to stand up for yourself. you had to call the police.

and that was exactly what you did. you called the authorities, which made the brave teenagers leave you alone.

while they were egging your house and making your life miserable, you knew this was the only time for you to make a rash decision. to leave the country, to somewhere no one else would fine you at. somewhere unpredictable, that no one would expect you to go.

it took a lot for you to book a plane ticket, box up your belongings and move to a completely different country, away from your hometown, florida.

you loved it in florida. though it was humid all the time, you enjoyed it. now that you had to leave, you only had a little while to cherish it before you leave it all behind.

and your family, your friends. the ones you’ve grown up with, ones you’ve grown to love and cherish. you had to leave that too. and without telling them too much information.

that hurt the most, needing to leave your loved ones behind, to start a new life, to start afresh.

DREAM’S POV

i didn’t know what was happening. one thing added onto another and soon it was out of control.

i didn’t say anything at the start, not thinking it would go this far. i didn’t know to what extent my fans would go.

sure, i saw all the things happening, but i didn’t do anything to stop it.

i saw her address and phone number all over social media, and did nothing about it.

george and sapnap said something, and pushed me to do something about it, but i didn’t. i was stubborn.

speaking of, it’s been months since i heard anything about her from her herself, everything i see is from my fans or hers, wondering where she is.

should i be worried?

YOUR POV

you left florida. the only people you told were your parents and your childhood friend, not trusting anyone else.

what you told them was vague, that you needed to leave, away from the US. specifically, you moved to Australia.

you made a decision to not live near the city, but the outskirts.

you were lucky that you weren’t a spender and you made more than enough money to make the decision to leave so suddenly.

lucky for you, you went to college and had a degree in law, so you didn’t need to worry about not having a job.

you never thought you’d make use of your degree this early in your life, thinking that youtube and being a content creator would last a little while longer.

you had to change you hairstyles, your fashion in general since you had to be in a more professional setting. although it was hard transitioning from a casual wear and having crazy coloured hair to wearing pant suits or formal dresses and going back your natural colour.

three years. it took you three full years for you to even think of visiting your parents in florida again. also, given the fact that you had a stable job and you couldn’t up and leave.

but recently, you were offered to work at another law firm in florida. you were happy to tell that to your family back home but at the same time, you were hesitant to go back to your nightmares.

but you braved yourself, since you missed your family dearly.

now, you were sitting on your desk in your cozy home, finalizing up the last of your move, like getting a house back in florida, this time with a better security just in case.

boxes of your clothes and belongings went first, to reach your new house there before you did so it was easier for you, not having to worry about your stuff.

you asked none of your family’s help, not wanting to burden them. instead you told them to just meet you at a restaurant you booked for you and your family and friends for dinner about three weeks after you landed.

although they protested, saying it was too long until they can see you again, you told them to not worry and that you were going to use those three weeks to start working at the new law firm.

you decided to take a straight flight from australia to florida, not wasting any time. although it was almost a twenty-two hour long flight, you sat throug and got to your hometown safely.

you didn’t know what was going on with the three boys you used to adore, since you didn’t have social media anymore.

but you didn’t mind it, it was peaceful.

two weeks since you’ve stepped foot in florida again. it felt amazing to breathe your hometown air again. it was refreshing.

you have fully settled in your new house, and workplace. you were glad to have met your co-workers. they were all super welcoming and made sure you weren’t left behind in anything.

so far, your transition from australia to florida has been smooth, and you weren’t worried about anything.

you got a car since you’ve arrived, so that you could travel easily from one place to another.

not to brag, but. you were making enough money to live a lavish lifestyle. a big house and a pretty expensive car, and that didn’t even make a dent in your bank account.

you were proud to see that you achieved all this yourself, and only within a couple of years.

you were just excited to meet your family in real life instead of facetime.

finally, the day of the dinner with your family came. unfortunately, you had to take a case in the afternoon, so you had to come to dinner in your work pant suit, with a turtleneck and a little late.

they understood it and told you not to worry about it, and that they would just seat themselves by your name instead of waiting for you. you promised you’d pay their dinners and apologized once again.

the sound of your heels comforted you as you walked from the valet to the restaurant. you were a little nervous to meet them again face to face after three years. but you couldn’t wait to catch up with them and tell them all about your work life that you could never tell them during the facetime calls.

you smiled to yourself, thinking nothing could go wrong. and nothing could really go wrong anyways, it was just a dinner after all.

but you hadn’t expected the three boys you used to idolize to be eating dinner at the same restaurant you and your family would be at, specifically, opposite your table.

you walked in the restaurant, telling the front of the house that you had a table reserved under your name and that you were pretty sure the rest of your family was already there.

she politely told you to walk alongside her, leading you to your family.

you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. you were solely focused on seeing your family that you didn’t know that there were extra pair of eyes staring at you.

you smiled as your family saw you. your mum crying while standing up to hug you tightly, as she once did three years ago.

you could hear your friends shout your name loudly, as if to tell the whole world that you were finally here.

“don’t cry, i’m staying, no more going back to australia, i swear.” you told your mum, trying to reassure her that you were fine and that you were not going to leave her again, since she hadn’t stopped crying.

you moved to hug your dad, who had been patiently waiting for his turn after his wife. “you look great, kiddo.” you thanked him as he complimented your professional look.

you sat down, somewhere in the middle, between your family, opposite of your parents so that everyone could clearly see and talk to you easily.

with how noisy you family were, you were sure the entire restaurant knew your name and where you had just moved from.

they asked you about australia, what was it like to work there, away from your family. you caught up with every single one of them.

“don’t you live in that really expensive neighbourhood right now?” one of your childhood friends asked.

you winked at her, discreetly trying to answer her question. the whole table shouted and congratulated you for making it this far, in only a matter of short years.

you covered your face, shy, not wanting this part of your life to be told to everyone in the restaurant.

GEORGE’S POV

there she was. the person whose life we practically ruined. luckily, we didn’t ruin it all for her. i guess she made use of her brains and is working a normal job.

“dude.” i tried to attract the other two boys’ attention.

“i know.” both of them answered me.

“she’s rich rich, huh?” sapnap almost chuckled but was totally serious saying that.

“yup.” dream.

ah yes, clay. the man dream himself. sapnap and i tried to persuade him into making it right for her, for you.

sure, he had said those mean words, but he can take it back. three years ago, at least.

she disappeared three years ago. vanished. no one knew where you went. some say you moved out of the country, which deemed to be true. couple of years later people started to find out what you worked as, but i tried my best to help get rid of the information

but they just couldn’t pinpoint where. you basically uped and left everything.

and there was time to apologize, but it had been to late.

i thought she died, quite frankly. i didn’t want to be the cause of someone dying. well at least, not me, but my friend.

now us three were seated in a pretty formal and expensive restaurant to eat dinner. and we did not expect to see her here.

she came in a little late, wearing a very professional wear. seemed like you went to work before this.

i knew you were a lawyer, we three knew that since our fans found it out.

she looked completely different. hair not her usual crazy colours. just seeing her in heels baffled me. she was wearing something formal and that wasn’t what you usually wore, years ago.

DREAMS’S POV

she’s beautiful.

not that she wasn’t before.

but this version of her was different. her in her pant suit, in heels. a turtleneck under her blazer.

she looked elegant. classy. rich.

i mean, she is rich.

her family screamed when she told them where she lived. and man, that neighbourhood only had rich people. it had one of the best, if not the best security you could ask for.

it wasn’t easy to buy a house there. even if you had the money, you’d need a certain bank card to be allowed to even be shortlisted.

and if i saw it correctly, she drives a bentley that was just parked by a valet kid.

damn. she is one successful woman.

i know, how could i think this much of her, how dare i when i didn’t even apologized. i didn’t even try.

in fact. i did. even before she went MIA, fully on social media, i sent her direct messages everywhere. she never replied to any of them.

and i knew no one that had her phone number. and soon enough, no one had heard from her in three years.

and now she’s back. more beautiful than ever.

i needed to speak to her i couldn’t live with the guilt that stayed for these past three years.

my fans, my so called supporters made her life a living hell and i almost did nothing to stop it.

i’m sure she hates me. but i have to try somehow, right?

question is, she didn’t have a social media anymore, and i can’t just speak to her now that she was sitting opposite my table.

i kept on pondering as i heard a little bit of her conversation, about her life.

i guess she moved to australia, and worked in a lawfirm in the outskirts. so unpredictable of her. no one would’ve guessed that in a million years.

i watched as i see her smile as she listened to what her parents were saying.

i cherished the smile since i didn’t know when was the next time i’d see her.

she asked the waiter for the bill, covering the whole cost of her and her huge family’s meal.

damn, this girl is too rich for her own good.

she puts down the bill on the table, also leaving a generous tip for the waiter that served them. she stood up to walk after her family, needing to pass my table.

since she had been oblivious to her surroundings, i didn’t expect her to spot us, to notice us.

but i was wrong.

PART 2

#dream x reader #dream imagines #dreamwastaken #dream fanfic #dream imagine #dreamwastaken imagines #dream fanfiction

395 notes · View notes

macaronnya · 3 years

Text

So I just saw the announcement about the EN server shutting down or at least dicontinued (hopefully just for now) and I might just burst into tears 🥲 I want to put my thoughts or rather feelings of the journy up until now on here to come down but maybe also as some form of comfort for anyone who needs it? It's very long and might have some broken english as it's not my first language so do keep it in mind please 😅

Anyways, I started A3! last year on march 7th because I saw a youtube video of people cosplaying Sakuya and Sakyo. At taht point, I already knew of A3! somewhere in my distant memories back when it was JP only. I decided to try out the game since I was getting bored of my current mobile games and the few reviews I could find of it were relatively positive. I had no idea just what a big part of my life this game was about the become 🤧

Btw I'm listening to some A3! songs right now, specifically Sakuya's 2nd character song, and it's not helping me 😢 So at the time, lockdown just started 2 days ago, which left me with a lot of time playing it and, I kid you not, I gulfed the main story down like it was the last slice of cake at home. I have 2 siblings. I think I finished it in a week or so despite it being only unlockable through leveling up, and if my memory serves me right, you need to be around lvl 75 to unlock all 4 episodes. As one can see, I was VERY invested in the story. It was just so....nice? I don't know how to exactly describe it but I was surprised by how likable everyone was. Of course I didn't hold such strong feelings for everyone back then as I do now but I was intrigued enough back then of nearly everyone, which is kind of rather rare in such types of games, no? At least for me it is, although I haven't played terribly a lot (Love Live, MLQC, Mystic Messenger).

I really like how the story actually continues through the events and how it alternated between stories exploring certain characters more (show events) and stories focusing on just them having fun. Getting to know everyone bit by bit and seeing how everyone grows closer to each other, not only within their respective troupes but the whole theater, makes me really all warm and fuzzy and it's found family, what more could you want?

Also, I really like Izumi, our dear MC 🥰 Even though she's supposed to be our self-insert, I found myself really enjoying reading her thoughts, observing her reactions to other characters' shenanigans (like her 'I do not see' to the members plan of faking their identity to bail Citron out lol) and just....her personality. Trying not to digress here but she has a lot more personality than other MCs in these joseimuke games and it makes her interactions with others not only bearable but even enjoyable. I'm not saying that this is what a perfect MC looks like or that she's superior to bland self-inserts. After all, it depends on the story, gameplay and other things. It's just a nice bonus I'm very grateful for. I mean, I got really emotional when Izumi performed with the other staff members all of the plays the actors have put out so far for the first anniversary. Her realizing she gained a new dream for her lost one just really took my heart, broke it in thousand pieces and then mended it again.

I also love A3! songs ❤ I did wonder how they would work in this franchise since it's not about idols but actors, though I guess there was nothing to worry about. I really like the duets because it's always a different duo and hearing them singing together, harmonizing with each other, complimenting each other, just fills me with undescribable joy. Of course the songs also slap pretty much every time. Even by limiting my options to 1 troupe, I still wouldn't be able to pick only one favourite (I like the majority of Winter's song tho, like Shoutai is just 🤌 and my sibling blasted Unmasked non-stop so I can't get it outta my head anymore). Gosh, I was so excited for 'Double Solitaire' since it would complete trilogy of the Hyodosakas singing together. I was really looking forward to getting all the songs and I was even saving up for Summer Troupe's 6th play.

If I had to describe the game A3! in one word, it'd be "charming". Coming to game itself, there are so many little quirks, that on their own aren't anything groundbreaking or big but together give the game its own flair. Live 2D is pretty common to see nowdays in games because it brings the characters to life through movements like 3D models. But I think A3! is able to illustrate it just as well, if not even better with their 2D sprites. Citron moonwalked by flipping the image over and sliding across the screen, Hisoka appeared out of nowhere by coming from above the screen, they do a little jump when they're happy, they go down a bit when they're sad. And that's just things with their whole sprite. The little drops when Tsuzuru finds himself in an awkward situation or is worried, the little note when Sakuya is happy, the hearts when Kazunari is lowkey flirting with Izumi, it's so cute! Or Omi's O.O face, Taichi's crying face (the usual one, not his face when he cried out of guilt of betraying Mankai), Yuki's done expression, H O M A R E AHA! They each have at least one personalized expression and also quote. Can you hear Kazunari's Yoropiko~☆, Citron's humming, Taichi's loud ass whining and scream of terror, Tsumugi's awkawrd laugh? It's brimming with life.

But also the UI (?how it looks) is joyful. The main screen's background cascading shapes changes depending from which Troupe your current character is from, the loading screen has sakura petals and a bird, the colors are very bright and saturated fitting to the overall color palette of the whole game, the little notebook during practice showing all the necessary infomation and a little sketch by the characters. It's just really charming.

As frustrating as it was, not getting halloween Tsuzuru after 110 pulls or Valentine Omi after 120, it was my first time ever understanding why gachas are called hellholes. Through my strong connections to the characters, their cards automatically appealed to me more. But the art is also so good???? Azuma is always looking flawless obviously but Omi's unbloomed Wolf card, where he is standing in the sunset looking at his camera or Kazunari's Shinobi card, unbloomed all concentrated on his panting and bloomed all shiny smiling like the fireworks in the background? Breathtaking everytime. I also appreciate it not needing multiple copies to unlock the whole backstage story.

I think I'm slowly running out of things to say, which might be good for whoever managed to come this far. I have to say though, A3! helped me through the pandemic. Being a perfect distraction to the world's chaos and more importantly my crushing schoolwork and worries for personal future. I'm a very pessimistic person but seeing the characters overcoming their hardships through the help of their to-be "family" and just being happy doing trouble, gave me a little hope and light for a bit every day. I came to cherish everyone, even those I like the least. I haven't felt like this since Mystic Messenger, which was also a game, that helped me through a difficult time. I can only wish to a shooting star, that it's not the end for the EN Server yet. While yes, the JP server is thriving and I could just switch to reading fantranslation, through my experience, my enjoyment considerably sinks playing like that and I wish to fully enjoy A3!.

Anyways thanks for reading (maybe again). Sorry for all the possible errors on the way here. I'm writing everything directly without too much thought. If you want, you can also share your experiences in the comments. It's always nice to share good memories with others.

Edit: I accidentally posted it already but I wasn't actually done 😓 When I said I had a lot to let out, I meant A LOT

#a3!#i will never forget a3!#in the end i never managed to get halloween and groom Tsuzuru

7 notes · View notes

keanureevesisbae · 3 years

Text

The alluring charm of Henry Cavill - Chapter 6

Summary: Henry has some things to think about, especially after his agent Richard calls him

Henry Cavill x Adelaide Park (ofc)

Wordcount: 4k

Warnings: None

A/N: So it has been quite awhile since I updated this fic. Thank you for bearing with me! This chapter might not be the best, so I’m sorry in advance. But writing has been a pretty hard process for a few weeks. I can write a few important parts in a chapter, but it’s not a coherent story itself. It still needs tons of filler. However, I’m slowly but surely getting back into it! Also, I have reached 350 followers (353 to be exact) and I’m doing a little celebration, you can read about it here!

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

Henry really needs to think this through.

He meant every single word that he said yesterday to Adelaide, he truly does. He is falling in love with her and he is falling way too hard, he is aware of that. He doesn’t even care about the stupid part of the show anymore, he just wants to get to know her and be around her. Right now and even after the show, with her is where he wants to be.

However, he also meant the other thing he said to her: she can go home if she feels like that’s for the best. However, deep down he doesn’t want her to go. Not yet at least.

That entire afternoon they had spend kissing, like they were two teenagers afraid of getting caught. By the time they had to go home, it was hard for him to focus and bounce back to their routine they had before their first kiss.

Should or shouldn’t he wrap his arm around her shoulders, push that strand of hair out of her face or use his thumb to wipe away the bits of food of her cheek?

During the night however, those doubts disappeared like snow in the sun. The whole world would see how they slept after the haunted house incident, why stop now? While Adelaide was asleep, he would just stare at her, without her looking away as she would turn into a blushing mess.

He never expected her to be like the pro she is, but then he realizes: while she has never been in a relationship before, this woman is the queen of romantic comedies and the one that she starred in, all portrayed healthy relationships, compared to other movies. She knows what she deserves and while that is more than he can offer, he can always try.

Adelaide Park stole his heart and from the looks of it, she has no intentions on ever giving it back.

Not that he minds at all.

Over the course of the next few days, they do some challenges and somehow they manage to do pretty okay. For the YouTube page of the Celebrity Project, they even did a segment on how to cook some Korean dishes and the comments underneath were all about one thing.

Their chemistry.

He admits, there is a lot of chemistry between them and it may or may not have been multiplied ever since their kiss. During the cooking segment, he kept messing up, causing Adelaide to simply shake her head, before wrapping her fingers around his arm, placing the side of her head on his bicep. She would softy reassure him, something that not only warmed his heart, but also the hearts of the fans.

While they are second place now (the Biebers are behind them and Charlie and Jennifer are way ahead of them), they are the fan favorites and Adelaide continues to impress everyone watching.

Tomorrow they are going on a camping trip, as part of their final challenge. After that, it’ll all be over. No more camera’s, no more stupid challenges (meaning never eating fried tarantulas anymore) and it’s only him and her together, getting to know one another on an even deeper level. He even thought about maybe auditioning for her upcoming romantic comedy. Playing alongside her, that’s all he wants.

It is hard for Henry, not to kiss her every time he gets the chance. He looks at her as she is making breakfast for them, but the ringing of his phone disturbs their little moment. He sees it’s his agent Richard and he places his hand on the small of her back. ‘You need me for something?’ he asks her.

She looks up and shakes her head. ‘No, please, take it,’ she says. ‘I can manage.’ He earns himself a beautiful smile from Adelaide.

After he excused himself, he walks outside, away from the camera’s. ‘Yes, what do you want?’

‘You are not responding to my texts,’ Richard informs him of the obvious.

He sighs. ‘I have been busy.’

‘With Adelaide.’ He tries to formulate as a question, but his agent fails miserably.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Henry asks him annoyed. He really hasn’t got time for this, especially not when he can make breakfast with Adelaide, as part of their morning routine. He loves these little moments and their cottage has become such an important spot for them.

‘You’re losing, Henry. You know what that means, right?’ The asshole answers his own rhetorical question. ‘You’re not getting James Bond.’

He doesn’t care about James Bond anymore. He doesn’t even want to portray James Bond anymore. But he doesn’t want to come across as a simp. ‘We’re not too far behind,’ he says. ‘I’ll get her to man up, so we can win this.’ Like a dagger goes straight through his heart as he says that. He doesn’t want Adelaide to man up. He wants her to stay exactly the way she is.

‘Are you sure?’ Richard asks and he can even hear the cockiness and arrogance in his agent’s voice. The second Henry gets back, he is going to switch from agency. He hates Richard. ‘Because from the looks of it, she is continuing dragging you down.’

That is not the fucking case. ‘We’ll manage,’ Henry hisses through clenched jaws.

‘And I never knew you were such a good actor. I almost believe you actually care about her.’

‘Maybe after this I’ll get even more jobs.’ Henry doesn’t mean it and even saying it out loud, pains him, however, it left his lips before he could even think about it and that’s what worries him. Does he mean it deep down?

He looks over his shoulder, to see Adelaide placing everything on the table outside. He can’t possibly mean it, right? ‘I’ve got to go.’ Without waiting for Richard to answer, he hangs up and marches up to the table.

This idiot is making him furious from the inside, completely ruining his excellent mood. The only thing he wants is to spend his day with Adelaide, without distractions.

While he was fuming of anger a few seconds ago, all his annoyance disappears as he approaches her. ‘Just in time,’ she says with a genuine smile, that makes him regret all the things he said to Richard.

Normally he would sit across from her, but today he sits right next to her, as they watch over the garden. Birds fly from tree to tree, the clouds are slowly dissolving in the sky and a stray cat wanders around their yard. ‘What’s the plan for today?’ Henry asks, as he grabs a cracker from the plate.

‘I think we have… pre… per… pre-pa-ra-tion time for the the final challenge tomorrow.’ She looks a bit annoyed, for her tumbling over her words. ‘Fuck,’ she hisses under her breath.

‘Addy,’ he says in a soft voice, causing her to look up. ‘It’s okay, remember that. You are with me.’ He can’t help but push a strand of hair out of her face and as he is doing that, he knows this is what fans comment about, if this shot makes it into the episode. He doesn’t even care at this point. He actually quite enjoys the fact that they are the fan favorites now.

‘Sorry,’ she whispers, clearly a bit distraught from stumbling like that. She was doing great these past few days.

He decides not to continue this conversation, because he knows that it annoys her and makes her feel insecure. Especially on a beautiful day like this, he shouldn’t bring up something like that. ‘We could go into town, buy some things.’

She nods. ‘Of course. Sounds like fun.’

‘And maybe you and I could go for a swim later this evening.’

‘Why?’

‘Because it’s fun,’ he chuckles. ‘Maybe you can finally swim by yourself. Just a little bit. You’ve been doing so good these last few days.’

Adelaide simply smiles at him, before taking a bite of her cracker. ‘Maybe.’ She lets out a sigh, placing her head against his bicep. Despite them wanting to keep whatever they have a bit of a secret, he loves this moment and doesn’t care about the camera’s picking this up. He doesn’t care about eventual comments from the fans. The only thing he cares about is that she feels safe enough to let her guard down around him and be vulnerable like this.

He places his hand on her leg. ‘I saw there is a little cafe, maybe we can have something to drink there.’

She nods. ‘Of course.’

They finish up their breakfast and she quickly tells him that she is going to put on some make-up and get dressed. He doesn’t think that she needs that, but he simply stares after her. When she’s out of his sight, he lets out a deep, slightly frustrated sigh that he had been holding in for a while now.

Richard is really annoying the shit out of him. He means, of course he wasn’t too excited about working with Adelaide in the first place, but that was before he got to know her. That was before she looked at him with those eyes of her, that hid so much, but on the other hand told him a lot. That was before he felt her body against his. That was before she sat on his lap and kissed him.

That afternoon, he was falling for her a little more with every kiss that they shared. It just clicked, it matched perfectly. Her petite frame fits right in his arms, like they were made for one another. He loves feeling her soft skin underneath his fingers.

‘Ready?’ Adelaide asks, when she walks back in. She is wearing a blush pink dress, that is pretty tight fitting. He bites his lip as he tries not to gawk at her, however he barely manages and simply nods. She grabs her purse and he holds out his hand. ‘What is it?’ she asks him, her voice as sweet as honey.

‘Give me your purse,’ he says with a smile. ‘Come on.’

Adelaide rolls her eyes and reluctantly hands him her purse. ‘Looks good on you,’ she chuckles. When they closed the door behind them, they decide not to take the car, but to walk instead. He holds out his arm for her to take. Her hand rests on his under arm, her finger nails grazing over his skin.

Henry can see them walking around like this in the future, her as his girlfriend and he wouldn’t be complaining about that at all.

◎ ◎ ◎

They have bought a few items, like some extra clothing and a first aid kit (that was something that Adelaide thought of), and now they are in a pretty fancy store, because Henry saw something in the window, that he really wants Adelaide to try on. He grabs the dress from the rack and a pair of heels that would match. ‘Try this on,’ Henry tells her.

She frowns, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ‘Why?’

‘Just to humor me. Pretty please.’

Adelaide simply rolls her eyes, before he spots a tiny smile on her face. She walks over to the changing room, as he follows her to shut the curtain. He watches as the camera’s start to spread over the store, capturing every moment. He hears her hum softly as she gets changed, forcing a smile on his face.

She is too adorable.

‘You done?’ Henry asks.

‘Almost,’ she says. ‘But you can open the curtain. Maybe you can even help me zip up.’

He would love that. With the upmost discretion, he opens the curtain, making sure the camera’s can’t pick up on them. ‘Give me kiss,’ he mouths, so the mic’s don’t pick up.

‘Why?’ she soundlessly whispers back,

‘Just do it,’ he says without making noise.

She steps into the heels, before leaning in to give him a soft kiss. Her plump and soft lips against his, nearly makes him hum in content. He wishes this moment could last forever, but it’s Adelaide that pulls him back into the real world. ‘Zip me up,’ she tells him, as she turns around.

He zips her up, glancing at her body and with a certain elegance and grace, Adelaide steps out of the changing room, twirling in front of the mirror. Henry has seen a few of her red carpet looks and he has to admit: she absolutely knows how to work the camera, with that an innocent look, but also a certain confidence.

‘You look beautiful,’ he says and quickly closes his mouth, because there is so much he wants to say to her. This tight black dress, shows off all her features that she should flaunt a lot more. The deep neckline, her exposed back and the way it hugs all her curves…

‘You like it?’ Adelaide asks him, looking at him through the mirror.

‘I don’t just like it, I love it, Addy,’ he admits, leaning with his shoulder against the wall.

‘Why did you want me to wear this, mister Cavill?’ she asks him, walking up to him, stopping right in front of him, with her hands resting on her hips.

‘Just because,’ he mumbles.

Adelaide scoffs. ‘That’s not a good enough reasoning for me.’

He wonders what it would be like to have an honest to God relationship with the lovely Adelaide Park. She teases him a lot, she uses him as a personal pillow and seems to enjoy his presence. Henry would love to do this a lot more often: take her out shopping. It doesn’t have to be extravagant like this, even a domestic run through the grocery store would suffice. Besides, just being around her would be all he needs.

Shit, he is really falling for her hard and fast.

Adelaide’s hand grazes over his chest and he places his on hers, engulfing her hand underneath his. ‘I just figured it would look beautiful on you and I was totally right.’

He can see it; she is lost in his eyes for a few seconds. She visibly shakes herself out of her thoughts, before simply rolling her eyes—a defense mechanism, pretending that she doesn’t care about his words, while actually she does. It’s adorable, really—and stepping back into the changing room. ‘Addy, give me the heels and dress.’

‘Why?’ he hears her ask from behind the curtain.

‘Because I’m going to buy them for you.’

‘I thought you were my partner, not my sugar daddy.’ She pulls the curtain aside and she is wearing her own dress again, while she is slipping on her own shoes again. ‘You don’t have to.’

‘I do,’ he tells her. ‘Please, let me buy this for you. Admit it: it looks really good on you.’

She scrunches up her nose. ‘It does,’ she whispers.

‘Then you should have it.’

‘It’s really expensive,’ Adelaide retorts.

‘Doesn’t matter. I have not one, but two cards with me. I think I will be fine.’ He takes the black dress and the heels with him and walks over to the counter, to pay for them.

Henry insists on carrying all the bags for her and when they arrive at the cafe, she slides next to him on the bench, so they can look at the pedestrians walking by. She sits so close to him, that he is afraid that she can hear his raising heartbeat. No matter how comfortable they are with one another right now, she still makes him a bit nervous.

‘You look forward to camping with me?’ she asks.

‘I look forward to do anything with you,’ Henry chuckles, causing her to blush intensely. ‘You’ve ever been camping before?’

That is such a stupid question, he thinks to himself. Probably not, since she told him about her family situation. If people barely have money for food, they don’t go on camping trips. Henry, you stupid fool.

She simply shakes her head and from the looks of it, she’s not bothered by his question. ‘You?’

‘As a kid, yeah. But I mostly just followed my dad.’

‘More experience than me,’ Adelaide chuckles. She takes a sip of her cappuccino and says: ‘Just have to tell you, that I don’t really like night time.’

‘Why not?’

‘It’s dark and outside,’ Adelaide tells him. ‘And I might be a little bit afraid in the dark, if you hadn’t noticed that already with the haunted house.’

Henry chuckles. ‘A little bit, but don’t you worry about a thing. I’m going to be right there with you. Besides,’ he says, ‘I don’t care about winning.’

‘Sure you do.’

He shakes his head. ‘No, I don’t and don’t fight me on that,’ he jokes, pinching her chubby cheek. ‘I just look forward to spend more time with you.’

◎ ◎ ◎

‘Henry, could you come in here?’

Adelaide’s voice is coming from the bathroom and he stops in front of the closed door. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asks, worry running through his veins.

‘There is a spider here and I want you to kill it.’

That’s actually quite the relief and it causes Henry to chuckle. He opens the door, only to discover that she is simply leaning against the wall. Adelaide places her finger on her lips and gestures to close the door. The door clicks shut behind him and she walks over to him. ‘What are you—’ He can’t finish his sentence, because she plants her lips on his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Henry melts against her body, placing his hands on her waist and chuckles. ‘Never knew you could be this sneaky, Addy.’ He lifts her on the counter and gives her another kiss. ‘I missed your lips.’

‘I missed yours too,’ she whispers. ‘I fear that this is because it’s all new and exciting, but I really can’t stop kissing you.’

He never expected her to be this bold, but he also feels like she has been holding back all along. The world is seeing one version of Adelaide Park, the one that she wants them to see, that she has gotten used to be. However, there is an even more complicated one hidden behind a large wall that she has build over the years. Slowly but surely, she lets her guard down every so often, to show him what she is like.

He can’t wait to see more of that.

‘I can’t stop either,’ he confesses, leaning in to kiss her again.

She tilts her head when he lets go of her, her thumbs slowly caressing his cheeks. ‘Henry,’ she whispers, ‘I’m worried for tomorrow.’

‘Why is that, Addy?’

She simply shrugs. ‘I’m just afraid that I’m going to let you down.’

Richards words flash through his mind for a single second, but he quickly shoves them aside. ‘Don’t be. I don’t care about winning anymore, especially because I won the greatest prize already.’ He buries his face in her nape, to press a delicate kiss on her skin. ‘We’ll see how it goes, okay? But remember, you and I are together every single minute. I’m not leaving you alone, because I know that is what you are worried about too.’

Adelaide nods, as she looks a bit caught. ‘Pinky promise?’

He holds out his pink, hooking it behind hers. ‘Pinky promise,’ he whispers, pressing a kiss on her fingers.

‘Now get out, I need to get ready for our swimming session.’ With a wide grin, she pushes him out of the bathroom and he can’t help but laugh. A blush is set on his cheeks and he grabs his own swimming trunks.

Henry sits on the bed, the smile still evident on his face. Shit, he is way too much into her. He waits as he hears Adelaide hum again, before she walks out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body and a huge smile on her face.

After he changed into the blue shorts, he walks out of the cottage, towards the pool. Adelaide is already sitting on the edge, her back as straight as a ruler and he sits next to her. ‘Ready?’ Henry asks her.

She takes a deep breath. ‘I am.’

He gets in the cold water and places his hands in the dips of her waist. Henry enjoys these swimming moments they share together. Her body is always so close to his and the evening sun making her like an ethereal goddess. He knows that it’s hard for her to trust anyone, but he somehow managed to build something with her.

Like usual, she hisses as soon as she hits the water and wraps her arms tightly around his shoulders. Her legs snake around his hips and that is the first time that she does that. While he is not complaining, Henry continues to tell himself that his teen years are over and that this shouldn’t make him this excited.

Adelaide manages to actually sort of swim, but he keeps his hand on her stomach, making sure she keeps floating. ‘Don’t let go of me,’ she tells him.

‘I wouldn’t dare.’

The water hits her in her face, but she starts to laugh.

‘You’re almost there, Addy,’ Henry encourages her and she places her underarms on the edge.

A chuckle of disbelieve leaves her lips. ‘I did it, Henry!’ She wraps her arms around his shoulders.

He pulls her closer to his body. ‘I’m so proud of you,’ he tells her. She pulls back and from the looks of it, it seems like she doesn’t care about hiding anymore, not when his hands are placed on her back. Her hot breath makes his lips tingle. ‘Thank you.’

It takes him all of his willpower not to lean in and kiss her, because the temptation is nearly killing him. He kissed her a few times today, however it’s not enough. He can’t stop thinking about her, about kissing her non stop and getting to know her even more. Maybe it’s because it’s all new and exciting.

Adelaide starts to shiver a bit and he presses his forehead against her temple. ‘Let’s get out of the pool. It’s becoming colder.’

He gets out and grabs her towel, holding it out her for her, wrapping her up in her large towel. He doesn’t want to let her go, but he keeps thinking to himself that in a matter of a few days, she is all his and the camera’s are finally out.

Adelaide takes a quick hot shower and walks over to the bed all dressed in her pajamas. He quickly gets himself ready, before he steps in the bed with her. He shuts out the lights, wrapping his arm around her upper body, as he presses his chest against her back. ‘Sleep tight,’ he whispers, burying his face in the back of her neck.

‘Good night,’ she says, holding his hand tightly in hers.

It doesn’t take long before he feels her asleep. He doesn’t know how she does it, but she always falls asleep pretty quickly and he has spend enough nights next to her to hear the change of her breathing. She twists and turns in his arms, like she usually does. Adelaide turns around and wraps her arm and leg around him and her face in the crook of his neck. He simply holds her body closely to his, as he feels her lips against his skin.

Henry’s fingers run through her hair and carefully presses a kiss on top of her head. He doesn’t care about winning anymore.

The one thing he cares about, is Adelaide Park.

#henry cavill #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill x oc #henry cavill x asian ofc #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x adelaide park #the alluring charm of henry cavill #asian ofc #adelaide park

85 notes · View notes

gothmedia · 3 years

Text

Movie Review: My Summer as a Goth

”If you don’t care what people think, why did you just ask me what I thought?” Overview and Plot My Summer as a Goth is a crowd funded movie directed by Tara Johnson-Medinger. It stars Joey, a morose teen who constantly talks about her dead dad and gets angry when other people talk about her dead dad. Since her mother is a prolific author set to do a book tour, Joey is shipped about 45 minutes out of town to her grandparents' house for the summer. There she becomes interested in the neighbor boy, an even more sullen teen called Victor. Victor notices Joey's interest and whisks her away into the world of goth summer romance. In terms of production, very nice looking film. Professional. I liked that the beginning of the movie looked very washed-out and reflected the mood well, getting warmer as the summer went on. I also loved the texting graphics. The movie was well-paced and a good length, however the passage of time in the movie was a bit odd. VERY soon after the movie says summer starts it’s the Fourth of July, then again only a short time later everyone’s talking about how the summer is almost over. Joey even gets mad at her mother in one instance for not being available in time, but it seems like the mother responded back in about a day while Joey makes it out that it took weeks. The in-movie passage of time was very confusing for me. Most of the characters were well-written with some hiccups mostly on the grandparent’s and Antonio’s end. Costume design was on-point. Sound was fine and the music choices throughout were wonderful. Overall, the film had really good production value.

Moving into spoiler territory, Joey’s grandparents are a ride as they swing from giving Joey hundreds of dollars and baking her pot brownies to telling at her she can’t stay out late and that she needs an exorcism. Antonio, a punk, starts the movie off by getting into a fist fight with Victor, but later becomes a loveable member of the cast. We meet Cob and Pen, the “goth swan couple”. They’re Victor’s friends and a breath of fresh air; despite having morose interests they’re very bubbly and outgoing. I wish more of the movie had them in it. They along with Victor decide to give Joey a makeover and invite her to a few different events over the summer including a silent disco in a graveyard, a party at Pandora’s house, and a concert. They also go on a camping trip with Joey, her grandparents, and one of Joey’s high school friends. Eventually, Joey gets annoyed with Victor’s constant toxic attitude and finds out he’s cheating on her. Everything’s fine in the end as the summer comes to a close and she goes back to school with Antonio as her new boyfriend and her new, darker look.

Joey the babybat has daddy issues. In the beginning Joey feels acts catty and defensive about everything. Don’t worry, she never really grows out of that. Pretty much everything about her revolves around either the fact that her father is dead or her relationship with Victor. She does have an art hobby that’s shown throughout the movie but she seems almost embarrassed by it? It’s never actually brought up by any characters and no one ever looks through her sketchbook or shows interest in it. Which I found really odd because a lot of the goths I know in real life tend to be pretty creative and would love it? Anyway, she falls head-first into goth because of a boy. I know that’s how some people get into the subculture, but it kind-of sours the movie because it seems like she also only stays in the subculture because of the boy. In the beginning she mentions liking the music and how it helps her express how she feels inside, but other than Victor, we really don’t get to see how she thinks about the subculture. She’s friends with Cob and Pen because they’re Victor’s friends. She goes to events because Victor goes. She dresses up because Victor wants her to. But once Victor is out of the picture, why does she stay? Other than the passing mention of music at the beginning, she really has no interest in the goth scene. She’s never shown engaging with the scene on her own terms, and I find that a little disappointing. When I was a babybat I was reading goth blogs like Stripy Tights and Dark Delights, I was trying to get my hands on back issues of Gothic Beauty, I was watching a ton of different youtubers talk about the scene and I just wanted more. There’s none of that with Joey save for a short scene where she watches tutorials on how to do her hair and make-up. (Which, admittedly was really cute.) I didn’t understand WHY Joey stays a goth at the end of the movie and I think it’s because the movie really didn’t portray the positive aspects of the subculture as much. Also, Joey needs to work on her attitude problem. She mentions her dead dad quite a bit at the beginning and gets upset when other people mention it back to her. At the end of the film she calls her mom over heartbreak and when her mom tries to talk about it with her, she acts sarcastic and shuts her mother out, getting mad that she reached out at the wrong time. I’m unsure if it was just Joey going back to her old coping strategies or if she was in the right because I have no idea how much time had passed since the phone call. I’ll never know. Either way, she does dump Victor which is nice and she reconciles with her mother as well. I do like that she feels more comfortable with herself at the end of the movie and begins doing things on her own terms, even if others don’t “get it”. Victor is a VERY well-written, manipulative dick. Storytime! So, there weren’t many goths at my college and we never really had any classes together, but I remember seeing this one kid walking across the street to the art buildings with a flowing black velvet cape over their backpack, an unlaced black poet shirt, platinum white hair in a side-hawk, knee-high black leather boots and a TON of silver jewelry. Honestly, they would have looked so cool if their harem pants weren’t made of chiffon and completely see-through. (Batman boxers!) Seeing Victor for the first time immediately reminded me of that. Over the top, charming, charismatic and a bit silly. I liked him at first. His wit is dry and in the beginning he didn’t take himself of the subculture TOO seriously, making jokes about vampires. I liked that he seemed to be having fun chatting about music and dressing up Joey. And then there came the lipstick. Honestly, the lipstick was used absolutely perfectly to show how the relationship is souring and how manipulative Victor really is. It really is a gradual showing of how things are going south in their relationship and how Victor isn’t as much as a downcast victim as he puts on. Later on in the movie he starts reminding me of that Bruiser sketch where there’s two goths and one of them is just badgering the other one that he can’t take his sweater off in the summer or join in on seasports because it’s “not goth”. He begins chastising Joey for not looking perfect at all times or not knowing things about the subculture despite the fact that he just dresses her up and brings her to parties instead of actually trying to integrate her to the local scene or teaching her about music or history. Eventually he goes back to hooking up with Pandora, something he apparently does frequently because Joey is not the first person he’s cheated on and literally everyone in town warns Joey about it. Victor clearly has a massively inflated ego and you love to hate him in the end. There are definitely his type in goth scenes around the world and I can see how he stays in good graces with the other asshole friends he has. Some people just really like being elitists. The one thing I can’t figure out, though, is why Pen and Cob are friends with him. They’re so nice compared. A punk by jacket only and why casual homophobia makes me salty. Antonio is... hoo boy, is he a thing. First introduced starting a fight with Victor you think, "Ah, this is the antagonist of the movie. I wonder why they made the punk an asshole? Usually punks are okay with goths." Luckily for us, he apologizes for the outburst and becomes a friend of the main cast. We learn he likes canasta and plays guitar. Oddly, he doesn't seem to have any punk patches or pins on his jacket and never actually mentions punk music. He does, however, mention goth music and he seems familiar with the other goths in town going to their events, so it seems he's on good standing with them despite bullying the goths at the beginning of the film. Seeing as goths would rather pretend to be haughty vampires than get their tail coats in a twist, Antonio makes for a heroic figure in the movie when Joey is in trouble. In my notes I wrote, "Ten bucks says punk kid is gonna save her,” and lo and behold, Antonio comes out of nowhere to save Joey from some bullies. I do like that he uses his rough appearance to his advantage to help people and do the right thing. That pretty accurately describes every punk I’ve ever met. They look tough as nails, but you’ll only see that side of them if you absolutely deserve to.

It's also revealed that Antonio is not straight as he's seen making out with some guy at a concert, mentions having had a previous relationship with Victor, and is being made fun of for being gay in the end. He also ends the film by being Joey's boyfriend. Pardon, what? I'm kind-of tired of this heteronormative nonsense where movies have to end with all main characters (Sans the villain, of course.) end up in a happy straight relationship. Joey's non-goth friend who's in the movie for a very short amount of time also ends up with a goth boyfriend because happily-ever-after and all that. It probably wouldn't have sat as poorly with me if they didn't make fun of Antonio for "looking gay" which in context makes no sense since he's pretty gender conforming compared to the goth men in the film. It also didn’t help that there were comments about lesbians at the beginning of the movie. At one point Joey's grandparents suggest she might like girls and Joey rebukes it with vitriol saying her grandparents are "too cool". The same kind of vitriol you hear when a straight person tells you they could never imagine being gay, that's disgusting. Oh, but they support your "choices", hm? I just wish Antonio’s character was a bit more fleshed out and he didn’t end up being back-up male love interest that’s only there to save female lead from bad guys and heartbreak. First rule of Goth Music is you don’t talk about Goth Music? The movie introduces goth along with music. The music in the film is honestly really good and a good portrayal of what goths actually listen to. Joey mentions she likes the music near the beginning and she goes to events such as a silent disco, a party, and a concert. Despite music obviously being a major source of community in the movie, no one actually talks about it other than that one instance of Joey mentioning she likes it. No one suggests bands to her or actually goes to the parties or concerts to do anything other than make out. The silent disco is the only real instance of them listening and dancing to the music and it feels like it's over in a flash. Though, the corny goth dance moves in that scene kind-of make up for it. At one point Antonio pulls out a guitar and asks if Joey wants him to play “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”. She mentions she’s never heard of it which leads Antonio to ask if she’s new to the scene. At another point in the party, Joey asks someone if they like Marylin Manson. While this is an obvious faux pas to anyone actually in the goth scene, no one actually engages with her in conversation about it. How was Joey supposed to know his music isn’t goth? Wasn’t she listening to goth music earlier at the silent disco? Or the music she said sounded pretty from Victor’s room when they met? How did she get this far liking these bands but not noticing that they sound nothing like Marylin Manson and did she never look them up on her own to listen to them later? She obviously likes them, so it really surprises me that she only got in the goth scene for a guy.

Robert Smith NEVER has smeared lipstick. /s The emphasis on appearance is a little annoying throughout the movie, but I guess it had to be. It fits Victor's personality to change Joey's personal style to match his, and the makeover scene was fun, but I wish there would have been more diversity in the cast of townie goths who attend the parties, concerts, and discos. I counted one person with blonde hair and a small handful of older goths. I didn't notice any non-white goths and unfortunately the movie placed quite the emphasis on pale skin and trying to avoid tanning. I know people like the white face along with dark make-up and looking vamp-ish, but when all your characters are in white greasepaint and there's no PoC to be seen in goth garb it sends a message that only white people can be goth and that's really something we need to kill in the subculture. I did, however, like the wardrobe choices. I liked that Joey got her wardrobe from a thrift store and that she dyed a top she already owned. She looked up tutorials on how to do her hair and make-up and it never looked perfect. That's a good thing. Baby Bats won't know how to do a bats nest hairstyle, they won't know to blend foundation to the neck, and they won't have a perfect eyeliner wing. No one mentioned alt-brand name clothing and no one had a perfectly couture outfit that media likes to sell as a stereotypical goth teenager. The goths actually looked like goths. Their wardrobes were things you'd actually see in a club and we get to see that they wear a plain black tank top and shorts when milling about the house, only breaking out the corsets and top hats for big events. The older goths were more well put together and that makes sense because they've been in the subculture longer and have had time to figure out what they like and what looks good on them. The costuming department did a really great job with this. Ah, but as a side note about wardrobe, who donates brand new, tall Docs to a thrift store??? You can’t sit with us. And sadly, the worst part of Goth in the movie- community. What was that, film? Other than the three main goths, we only get to see other goths at large events and they all seem a bit catty? You have the silent disco, which was cute but no one really spoke to or interacted with each other. Pen and Cob are kind-of doing their own thing throughout no matter who they’re with. We also have the house party and the concert. The other goths there are.... pretty much just there to be judgy because Joey’s new? The first time I went to a club in a new city and didn’t know anyone some random person grabbed my hands and dragged me to the dancefloor. It was fun! People would ask the DJ what he was spinning and they weren’t shamed for not knowing. If someone’s jacket ripped, five people would come out of the woodwork with a safety pin and afterwards we’d all pile into Denny’s and laugh and joke and talk about nothing. I’m not saying there’s no “Gothier-than-Thou” types, believe me I’ve met more than a few, but in a movie that’s trying to portray someone WANTING to become a goth, why not portray the subculture as more inviting? Also, with the comments from Victor and a few other remarks, it seems like alcohol is needed to blend into the goth scene, and that definitely isn’t the case. Sure, a lot of us love absinth or a snakebite in black, but it’s not needed to fit in with the cool kids at the club. The community really is my favorite thing about this subculture and I feel it was a disservice that most goths were showcased as uninviting. I can understand Joey not being wanted at the party initially as she wasn’t invited in the first place and perhaps the eldergoths in the room didn’t want to have to have an impromptu etiquette and history lesson with a babybat when they’re supposed to be relaxing, but the point of the movie was to showcase why Joey wants to be a goth. She never makes friends outside of Victor’s immediate group and never tries to find community or information about the scene online or anything. I guess that is how babybats do act a lot of the time, but again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the point of the movie is showing why someone would WANT to be a goth. Final Thoughts. The goth scene in the movie looked like a regular goth scene. I liked the emphasis on thrifting and DIY and that newcomers don’t come out of the womb knowing the lyrics to the entirety of Floodland. The music was phenomenal. I liked that the music featured was goth music, but not the main five bands that everyone already knows. I liked that the events attended were focused mainly around music. I liked seeing actual goth dance moves on screen. I liked that people in the movie did use terminology found in the subculture and made jokes about the subculture that insiders would actually make. I liked that Pen and Cob were wonderfully peppy despite their dark interests, I liked that we got punk-goth solidarity. I liked that it did remind me a bit of my babybat years and got me missing clubs and events. I miss all my friends... I really do...

I was put off by the passage of time in the movie, Joey’s cattiness with anyone who tries to help her, the light and casual homophobia sprinkled in, and the negative-leaning portrayal of the goth community. Other than that, though, I did think it was a good movie with a satisfying ending and I would really suggest people check it out. It’s probably the most accurate portrayal of goths in any media, really, and it’s worth a watch. At the very least, go listen to the soundtrack on BandCamp.

#gothgoth #goth #my summer as a goth #movie review #long post

21 notes · View notes

avengersapology-vid · 4 years

Conversation

The Avengers and Their Favorite Reality TV show(s):

Steve: Steve is trying to adjust to life in the 21st century, and in order to do that it would be easiest for him to learn from the TV. He is SHOCKED at the content seen on shows the other avengers watch. He finds himself watching a lot of challenge based tv shows. (He loves cupcake wars) Chopped is one of his favorites and so is Cake Boss. He loves watching celebrity interviews as well, it helps him get acquainted with todays culture.

Tony: Tony walked in on Pepper and Natasha watching Real House Wives and needless to say, he was so entertained. This then moved onto him watching all of the Real House Wives spin offs, Mob Wives, etc. Their rich lifestyle is relatable to him and he cant help but yell at the TV (with a drink in hand) in encouragement when the wives argue. Tony also LOVES pawn stars.

Natasha: If you watch TLC on sundays, you know the line up, its 90 day fiancé, sMothered, Love after lockup, etc. Natasha cant get enough of those shows. She even has a secret reddit account to keep up with the drama and to comment on the dumb antics of the shows subjects.

Clint: While being Nats closest friend, Clint gets in on the drama. However his favorite show to watch is Love After Lockup. His wife once walked by and said "Ugh this show is so trashy how could you wa-" "ITS WHAT?"

Thor: Thors favorite reality shows are Dance Moms, 90 day Fiance and Keeping up with the Kardashians. When Thor started visiting Earth more he inquired as to what the culture was and began watching TV. He then fell into a rabbit hole of trashy reality shows that he finds HILARIOUS because "Humans are so tiny!!"

Loki: Loki, like Thor, thinks humans are tiny and a bit pea brained. While bored on Earth he decides to turn on the TV. "What in bloody hell is Bad Girls Club?" He loved it. the cat fights, the bitchiness, the backstabbing, EVERYTHING. It was so dumb but entertaining to him. He also will watch ancient aliens and argues their points with his many years of life experience.

Sam: Sams guilty pleasure is Jersey Shore, he even goes as far as wanting to see Pauly D live. It reminds him of his party days and he eventually gets Bucky to watch it with him.

Bucky: "Sam for the 5th time I don't want to watch Jersey Shore." *Is completely enthralled in Jwoww fighting Angelina 15 minutes later* Since Bucky is from the 40s he's a bit confused at the content at first but eventually finds it entertaining. Bucky also loves watching how they make swords on Forged in Fire and he watches pawn stars on Saturday mornings with Tony. (He might even recognize a few items from the 40s)

Peter: Peter and MJ watch the bachelor and bachelorette and have bets on whos goes home. He also loves watching Ancient Aliens and other science TV shows. He also watches kitchen nightmares on youtube, Peter has seen a lot as Spiderman but the one thing that will always scare him is an angry Gordon Ramsey.

Wanda: Wanda loves wholesome reality shows like Say Yes to the Dress, Four Weddings etc. She also enjoys the entire Investigation Discovery channel and will try to figure out who the killer is before they do. She also has a soft spot for home improvement shows that she watches with vision.

Vision: Vision doesn't watch much TV but when he does its with Wanda. He enjoys watching how its made, and all the home improvement shows you can think of. He often will fantasize about doing the same improvements in his future house with wanda.

Pietro: Pietro loves spooky TV. Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, The Dead Files. Be prepared to hear what Tony calls "Girly" screams coming from Pietros room on Friday nights when he binge watches these shows.

Bruce: Bruce LOVES science shows, its common knowledge. He watches The Unexplained, Ancient Aliens and How the Universe Works. He often finds himself arguing the TV in his head. When Bruce isn't in his science mood he enjoys Cake Boss, Married at First Sight and some of the shows Natasha watches.

Nick: Nicks guilty pleasure is early 2000s reality shows, they remind him of the "Good old days." He loves watching re-runs of Flavor of Love, I Love New York, Charm School, Next, etc. He also STANS Tiffany "New York" Pollard.

Coulson: We all know Coulson watches Dr. Phil when he gets home. We also know he loves the more mundane TV shows like extreme couponing, my strange addiction, etc. He even gossips with Natasha about 90 day fiancé from time to time. He also is a big fan of Americas Next Top Model.

62 notes · View notes

englishchinesetranslations · 3 years

Link

youtube

Since she began posting rustic-chic videos of her life in rural Sichuan province in 2016, Li Ziqi, 29, has become one of China’s biggest social media stars. She has 22 million followers on the microblogging site Weibo, 34 million on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) and another 8.3 million on YouTube (Li has been active on YouTube for the last two years, despite it being officially blocked in China).

Li’s videos – which she initially produced by herself and now makes with a small team – emphasize beautiful countryside and ancient tradition. In videos soundtracked by tranquil flute music, Li crafts her own furniture out of bamboo and dyes her clothing with fruit skins. If she wants soy sauce, she grows the soybeans themselves; a video about making an egg yolk dish starts with her hatching ducklings. The meals she creates are often elaborate demonstrations of how many delicious things can be done with a particular seasonal ingredient, like ginger or green plums.

There is even a Li Ziqi online shop, where fans can purchase versions of the steel “chopper” knife she uses to dice the vegetables she plucks from her plentiful garden, or replicas of the old-fashioned shirts she wears while foraging for wild mushrooms and magnolia blossoms in the misty mountainside.

youtube

While she occasionally reveals a behind-the-scenes peek at her process, Li – who did not respond to interview requests for this article – is very private. By all accounts, she struggled to find steady work in a city before returning to the countryside to care for her ailing grandmother (who appears in her videos).

Recently, Li has been thrust into a wider spotlight by the Chinese government, who seem to have realized her soft power potential. In 2018, the Communist party of China named her a “good young netizen” and role model for Chinese youth. In September 2019, the People’s Daily, a CPC mouthpiece, gave Li their “People’s Choice” award, while last month, state media praised Li for helping to promote traditional culture globally, and the Communist Youth League named her an ambassador of a program promoting the economic empowerment of rural youth.

Revealed: how TikTok censors videos that do not please Beijing Read more

As the government increasingly champions her, Chinese citizens have taken to Weibo to question whether Li’s polished, rather one-dimensional portrayal of farm work conveys anything truly meaningful about contemporary China – especially to her growing international audience on YouTube.

They have a point: Li’s videos reveal as much about the day-to-day labor of most Chinese farmers as the Martha Stewart Show does the American working class. As Li Bochun, director of Beijing-based Chinese Culture Rejuvenation Research Institute told the media last month: “The traditional lifestyle Li Ziqi presents in her videos is … not widely followed.”

In reality, many of China’s rural villages have shrunk or disappeared completely in past decades as the nation prioritized urbanization and workers migrated to cities, with research suggesting the country lost 245 rural villages a day from 2000 to 2010. The 40% of China’s population still living in rural areas encompass a huge diversity of experience, yet life can be difficult, with per-capita rural income declining sharply since 2014 and environmental pollution often as rife as in industrial centers. That’s not to say the beautiful forests and compelling traditions of Li’s videos are not genuine – like many social media creators, she simply focuses on the most charming elements of a bigger picture.

youtube

So what do Li’s videos reflect about modern China, if not average daily life in the countryside?

For one, they say something about the mindset of her mainland audience – primarily urban millennials, for whom a traditional culture craze known as “fugu” or “hanfu” has been an aesthetic trend for a number of years.

“Fugu”, according to Yang Chunmei, professor of Chinese history and philosophy at Qufu Normal University, reflects the “romanticized, pastoral” desires of youth “disillusioned by today’s ever-changing, industrial, consumerist society.” In practice, it looks like young people integrating more traditional clothing into their daily looks, watching historical dramas and following rural lifestyle influencers like Li. (While Li is an extremely popular example of the trend, she’s not the only young farmer vlogging in China right now, and outdoor cooking videos of people making meals with wild ingredients and scant equipment are a genre of their own on Douyin.)

Among urban millennials in the west, giving up the nine-to-five grind and living humbly and closer to nature is a popular dream. In China, the contemporary experience of burnout is compounded by the intensity of “urban disease”, an umbrella term for the difficulties of living in megacities like Shanghai or Guangzhou, which can be used to refer to everything from traffic jams and poor air quality to employment and housing scarcity.

Also at play in Li’s popularity is the particular tenor of Chinese wistfulness. “It’s called xiangchou. Xiang means the countryside or rural life, and chou means to long for it, to miss it,” says Linda Qian, an Oxford University PhD candidate studying nostalgia’s role in the revitalization of China’s villages.

“It is quite prevalent for youth living the city life. They get really sick of [the city] so the countryside” – or a fantasy of it – “looks increasingly like the ideal image of what a good life should be.”

Qian also likens Li’s appeal to that of “Man vs Wild”-style entertainment in the west. “We’ve gotten to a certain point of materialism and consumption where there’s only so much you can buy, and we’re like, ‘What other experiences can I have?’” she says. “So we go back to what humans can do.”

Yet as her fame grows internationally, some have questioned, in comments, blogposts and Reddit threads, whether Li’s channel is communist propaganda.

In addition to providing China a form of international PR, Li embodies a kind of rural success the government hopes to generate more of through recent initiatives. With the aim of alleviating rural poverty, the Communist Youth League has embarked on an effort to send more than 10 million urban youth to “rural zones” by 2022, in order to “increase their skills, spread civilization, and promote science and technology”.

“We need young people to use science and technology to help the countryside innovate its traditional development models,” Zhang Linbin, deputy head of a township in central Hunan province, told the Global Times last April.

By using technology to create her own rural economic opportunities while simultaneously championing forms of traditional Chinese culture before a huge audience, Li may seem like a CPC dream come true.

youtube

According to Professor Ka-Ming Wu, a cultural anthropologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong: “Li represents a new wave of Chinese soft power in that she’s so creative and aesthetically good, and knows how to appeal to a general audience whether they’re Chinese or not.” And yet, “I don’t think this is some kind of engineered effort by the Chinese state,” she says.

Li’s narrative hinges on her failure to thrive in the city; that failure is antithetical to China’s overarching narrative of progress and urban opportunity. Were she a manufactured agent of propaganda, Wu speculates, “[Her failure] is something the Chinese state would never even mention.

“And I think that’s what really fuels her popularity,” says Wu. “That despair of not being able to find oneself in the ‘Chinese dream’. I don’t think she’s propaganda because one of her major successes is that she’s making that failure highly aesthetic … However, the Chinese government is very smart to appropriate her work and say that she represents traditional culture and promote her.”

According to some Chinese media, Li’s content is better than propaganda – doing more to generate genuine domestic, and especially international, interest in rural Chinese traditions than any government initiative of the past decade. “Dozens of government departments with billions at their disposal spent 10 years on propaganda projects, but they have done a worse job than a little girl,” writes the South China Morning Post’s Chauncey Jung, summarizing a tweet from journalist Jasper Jia.

However you feel about Li as a cultural force, her ability to flourish despite a unique set of contradictory circumstances is impressive. Out of the past and present, failure and success, independence and authoritarianism, she’s spun a truly pleasant vision. If only life was really so simple.

#li ziqi

15 notes · View notes

silver-wield · 4 years

Text

FF7R: The Cloud Narrative

While in the middle of one of my replays that involved making different choices for Cloud to get other stuff, I started thinking, “What would Cloud choose?”

And that got me thinking some more about the fact we say it's all what Cloud would choose, but really, it's what we pick to get the best story that suits our preferences.

And since I'm that kind of dork, I decided to replay and let Cloud's personality and development lead me to make the choices so I could try and see what Cloud would've chosen if he had autonomy. It makes for a slightly different game than the one I usually play, but it was fun really thinking over the options and deciding how Cloud would react to every situation and whether he'd choose to engage with it or not.

I didn't actually remember to grab every screenshot of my playthrough, so some of these are from Youtube, but the decisions I say I made are the ones I made because why would I lie?

Ok, let's mosey...

Spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be long.

The opening decision is in Chapter 2 when we first meet Aerith. None of these decisions affect anything within the game to do with the resolution, it just makes either girl react differently to Cloud.

I'm sure some people would argue he'd buy it because Aerith, but he doesn't know her, has no obligation to be nice to her – especially compared to the Avalanche crew who he needed to rely on back in the reactor and he was a dick to them – he's in a rush and has no reason to buy flowers unless people want to assume he already had Tifa in mind the moment Aerith mentioned it. If we do choose the option to buy it right away, Aerith flirts a little and slots the flower into Cloud's shoulder strap over his heart. We get none of the extended dialogue if we choose this option. For those people who say the more someone talks is a sign of canon, this would make the “how much” option the non-canon choice because it contains the least amount of dialogue and time they spend together.

If we choose “I'm good,” then we hear Aerith insisting he takes it by saying, “When was the last time you saw a real one,” and adding that “it'll make your girlfriend's day.”

Then we get the automatic line from Cloud that happened when we originally chose “how much.”

After some more dialogue from Aerith another choice occurs, one which can make Cloud sound like a royal shitbag or not.

I think everyone would agree that Cloud purposely pissing off a total stranger is out of character, and if you choose the second option he doesn't actually speak and Aerith goes straight into her line about how “lovers used to give these when they were reunited.”

For my choices as Cloud I said, “I'm good,” and then when she insisted, I agreed to take it because to me – and this is how I always answer – it feels the most Cloud kind of answer.

Chapter 3

The next choice Cloud's presented with is during chapter 3 when Tifa offers him a drink. No matter which choice you make he calls Tifa beautiful as the outcome.

By answering “something hard” Tifa goes into her cocktail making routine before pouring Cloud a drink that looks suspiciously like piss, but is actually meant to represent the colour of his hair. Hard and bitter. Like him. He doesn't like it. Colour me shocked. She then goes on to make the red drink that's a representation of her eye colour. This is when Cloud raises the glass and makes the “beautiful” comment.

If you choose the refuse option, Tifa replies that “if you were in the mood” and then goes into the same drinks making routine as the first option, with the exact same dialogue and outcome between them. (And now I know it's almost identical I wonder why the devs did it? It seems like a straw man option tbf. There's no real choice or changes to the dialogue and it's like it's been put there to give the illusion of it being optional).

Since Cloud is secretly into Tifa I figured he'd choose “something hard and bitter” as a way to try and show off how tough he is. However, it’s worth noting that Cloud isn’t a big drinker and only drinks when he’s in a low mood. He’s pretty happy here, so I’d say in general he wouldn’t drink, but because he’s only recently reunited with Tifa he still wants to impress her. So yeah, to drink.

The next chance for Cloud to have a choice concerns the chapter 3 side quests that open up the alone at last which goes towards choosing a dress for Tifa later in chapter 9. If you don't finish the quests or miss alone at last you always get Tifa's blue dress and moon charm earring. That is her canon outfit.

The quests for chapter 3 are all monster related apart from one – which I'll get to in a minute.

Chadley's report involves scanning monsters for data and killing them. Rat problem comes from the item vendor and involves killing doomrats.

Nuisance in the factory involves killing drakes.

On the prowl involves going after a shinra dog thing

Just flew in from the graveyard involves a larger drake.

These are all the type of job that Cloud would accept without thinking about it too much. He's a merc, he's getting paid to kill monsters. It'll show off his skills and build his rep and as Tifa says, the better his rep the more he gets paid. These five quests are ones Cloud would take because that's the type of person he thinks he should be. The monster slayer.

As for quest 4, lost friends, I initially said that Cloud would avoid this because it involves two things he isn't good with: kids and animals. Now, I've heard from people that by AC Cloud is actually pretty good around kids, and I agree, he's got a lot of love from them by this point. But that's at least two years away from now and he's not even slightly good around kids and actively avoids them. Cats seem to have a grudge against him, too, at this point in the game – though Wedge's cat mellows towards him after he helps out. These were my reasons for deciding to avoid this quest because Cloud just wouldn't do it. Then, once I got to it, I realised the reason why Cloud would do it.

Tifa.

Tifa likes kids and animals. Now, as a respectful type of girl, she doesn't usually push Cloud to do things he doesn't want to. She's always considerate to his feelings and to others too. In this case, though, she's not focused on Cloud and if he'd want to do this job, but on helping out a little girl. Cloud's been running around doing jobs all morning, so Tifa's related him to the task of finding the cats.

Usually Cloud would refuse to something that's so obviously beneath his skills, but because it's Tifa who's asking, he agrees.

Alone at last triggers and we get to view a moment between Cloud and Tifa that ends in him choosing a dress for her. Alone as last is narrative canon whether we choose to see it or not because of other hints in the game that refer back to the conversation they had. While they talk about the past we get an above view of the rug that has a reunion flower pattern on it. Tifa and Cloud both take steps towards each other during this scene, which symbolises their closing the emotional distance that's between them.

This choice changes nothing about the game and only matters if you want to go for the dressed to the nines achievement.

If you choose the top option – for her canon outfit, Tifa replies “Yeah, I guess we aren't kids anymore.” If you choose the second option she says, “That's not much different to my regular style.”

If you choose the exotic outfit she says, “really?” and acts a little awkward about it.

She then asks Cloud to dress to match her. The dresses he wears during wall market all have a similar style to Tifa's options, showing he did dress to match her. The narrative canon choice for which dress Cloud eventually went with is something I'll be bringing up later.

By choosing the canon outfit option and getting Tifa's canon dialogue we get a reference to the fact they've known each other for a long time. This ties into the conversation they had which also touched on their shared history. This is a background development scene between them, but isn't necessary to know because we get other info about them over the rest of the game. This extra bit of dialogue is to increase our knowledge of Cloud and Tifa, both separately and together.

Chapter Four

Jessie’s bike ride, which isn’t optional in the sense you can choose how it goes. The result depends on how good you are at the minigame. However, since there’s three endings, this is a choice based result.

Are you, Cloud? Really? When did you get that SOLDIER mandatory training? Of the three optional endings, the narrative canon that makes the most sense is Cloud being really bad at it. This is his first time doing any of that, but it gives him the crash course he needs for later in the Shinra building when he does all those fancy moves. Cloud owes Roche some props for observational bike stunting.

Chapter Five

And our next canon narrative choice is between making Cloud look incompetent at his job or choosing to have an intimate moment with his one true love. Well, seeing how the cloti roll is in the ultimania we know this is the correct narrative choice.

Chapter 8

There's a long gap between chapter 5 and the next option we get for Cloud. Once we meet Aerith again and get her back to Sector 5, we go into her side quests and optional discovery. Aerith's side quests are tied to what dress she later wears during chapter 9.

The side quests for Aerith's chapter are split into groups of 3. This means that by unlocking one, you get the further quests on that branch. One branch is more of a Cloud oriented style set of quests, while the other involves the thing he doesn't do well around: kids.

Kids on patrol → A verified hero + Angel of the slums

Weapons on a rampage → Paying respects + moogle merchant.

If you don't complete kids on patrol first then the other two don't unlock. One of these further quests involves more kids and playing with them. Not really Cloud type activities and unlike with chapter 3 where he'd do something because Tifa asked, he's not got that type of relationship with Aerith that he'd be willing to do stuff that he doesn't want to just to impress her.

Breakdown of sidequests in sector 5 and NPC background dialogues.

Weapons on a rampage is more his style of quest, which leads to the NPC who set it to ask a further favour. This links to the next quest where you have to pay respects for the old man. The thing is, he doesn't have the graveyard key, which leads to the next quest where we have to go buy it off Moggie. This is the only kid related quest on this branch and it's over in moments. Cloud has the minimum amount of contact with Moggie and doesn't show any kind of tolerance towards her while he's talking. There's also no apology for his behaviour – unlike when he said to Tifa he was doing his best when she scolded him for being rude.

The way these quests are set out in blocks of three and the fact one half is heavily reliant on child interaction – which Cloud wouldn't do at this point in his development or association with Aerith – leads me to believe he wouldn't agree to these quests. This means the language of flowers discovery doesn't trigger and Aerith ends up in her second option dress – which I've theorised is her canon outfit because of its design similarity to the OG version, her reaction to the dress, the fact that in OG, Aerith chose her own dress, the hairstyle and accessory match the OG style and Cloud's reaction is a very Cloud reaction to have, compared to the other two outfits – the bad dress has dogs and rats following her and the red dress is so ott she's swarmed by fans, a red carpet and so on, but also her accessories don't fit her symbolism theme of flowers because she's wearing stars.

With all of the above in mind, I surmised Cloud would do the monster hunt branch of quests and quit while he was ahead.

Chapter 9

Where before we had a few choices happening, once we hit Wall Market we're inundated with options that affect Cloud's outfit later on. They also showcase what kind of morals Cloud has. Either way, it's canonically easier to get Chocobo Sam's pts higher than Madam M's, leading me to believe he is the canon narrative choice for this section and that Cloud's black and blue corset dress is the one he ends up wearing.

This contradicts my previous theory about the ultimania in which Cloud is shown very uncomfortable in the loli outfit, which led me to believe that was the one he ended up in if he made the choices in Wall Market. I now believe it's because if you pick this outfit it's his “bad ending”, worse than if you don't make any effort and get the plain black and grey dress.

The maximum amount of pts you can get from Chocobo Sam's options is 6.5, compared to Madam M's 5.

There are several people who offer you options during Wall Market.

The love hotel owner (not a Nojima self-insert lol).

Johnny (discovery) + before the first coloseum match – there's a bottle on the table and the choice is to drink or not.

Madam M x2

Sam x2

The first option you get in Wall Market happens before you've even entered the place. Sam asks you what the girl you're searching for looks like. No matter which option you choose, Sam says that Cloud has a crush on Tifa – which he doesn't deny.

If you choose the first option you get 1pt with Sam.

If you choose the second option you get 0pts

If you choose the 3rd option you get 1pt with Madam M.

I chose the first option because Cloud's a guy, with eyes, and the other two choices don't offer anything in the way of a physical description and if he's describing her to someone then he needs to actually describe what she looks like in some way. This is the only option that does that. It's also the only option that gets a different reaction out of Aerith, whereas the other two options have the same reaction from her.

This is the second option we can choose from and it's the love hotel guy (still not a Nojima self-insert). If you choose “no thanks,” this gets you 1pt with Sam and Aerith flirts with Cloud.

If you choose “how much?” you get a surprised “Cloud!” from Aerith and 1pt with Madam M.

If you choose “back off” you get 0pts and Aerith apologises on his behalf.

Of the 3 choices, I picked “back off” because it's the most Cloud appropriate choice.

Next, we have the Johnny discovery when he literally runs past you as you try to go to Don Corneo's for the first time. By following him to the Honey Bee, we get a lecherous dialogue from him and then a question about Cloud's own preferences. Would he go into the Honey Bee? If he agrees with Johnny, we get a slightly self-loathing assumption of a reply, whereas if we disagree, Johnny says that Cloud hasn't experienced anything yet. Either way, he runs off once he's finished.

By agreeing with Johnny you get 1pt for Sam.

If you don't agree you get 0pts.

I chose to disagree because Cloud isn't a lecherous pig and is actually pure af with no experience.

We learn from Leslie that the only way to get into an audition with Corneo is through the trio. Andrea Rhodea has a 3 year waiting list, so we don't even see him. So, we go back to Sam.

This is a hint that the following event with Sam is a load of bull. Johnny telling Cloud – if you interact with him – that he should've followed his gut is a hint that Cloud should trust his instincts. It’s also confirming that while Cloud is a total cheapskate who doesn’t do anything for free, he’s also a betting man who’ll think little of dropping 1000g on a sure thing (why 1000g? because that’s the amount he says to Barret in chapter 6, showing that while Cloud appreciates having money, he’ll also spend it.) Then it's around the corner to where Sam waits. Who, despite having already endorsed Tifa, says he's willing to help Aerith if she can guess the result of a coin toss.

Ofc it's rigged. But if you choose to gamble, it impresses Sam. You get 1.5 pts for choosing heads or tails. If you refuse to gamble then you get 0.5pts.

I believe the narrative choice is to pick heads, like Johnny suggested because he is the inner voice of Cloud and gives us hints as to real Cloud’s feelings at different points in the game. Either way, Cloud gets the coin and says he had a hunch about the result.

After this it's away to Madam M's and the most hilarious choice I've ever seen! I have to wait until the room's clear before choosing because it's a watch from behind a cushion moment lol

Madam M won't help Cloud unless he agrees to a massage. Since our SOLDIER boi doesn't like being forced into decisions and has issues around touch and intimacy, not to mention he's stingy af and wouldn't drop 3k on a massage when he's previously hounded people for a lot less money. But, he also doesn’t stop to think about spending money if it’s worth this while. 1000g doesn’t seem like much of a big deal to him, if it’s his standard amount of bet on a sure thing. He wants to save Tifa, so he’d likely go with the standard course. The other one alludes to him being a cheapskate like Aerith accused and there’s no reference to the luxury course anywhere in the game except here. This isn't something he's doing for pleasure, he's in Wall Market to save Tifa, so the things he's doing are a means to an end.

If you pick the luxury massage you get 2pts with Madam M.

If you pick the standard massage you get 1pt with Madam M

If you pick the poor man's massage you get 0pts.

I chose the standard course massage because I believe that's what Cloud would choose just to get Madam M to agree to help them.

The next choice comes right off the back of the massage at Madam M's and involves Cloud giving an opinion of Aerith's outfit.

If you choose the first option it gets you 1pt with Sam and a pleased reaction from Aerith.

If you choose the second option you get 0pts and an angry retort from Aerith.

If you choose the third option you get 1pt with Madam M and a middle of the road comment from Aerith. No matter which you choose, Madam M scolds you.

Since by this point in the game Cloud and Aerith are friendly enough for him to pass comment on her outfit, I could see him answering with the second choice, but not the first since he doesn't even notice what anyone's wearing let alone have an opinion on it. The third option sounds the most Cloud-centric choice, so that's what I picked.

The last option is for Cloud to drink an unknown substance or not while waiting for his match to start at the coliseum. Johnny gives the explanation of what it is, who it came from and what it potentially does.

By choosing to drink the mystery substance you get 1pt with Sam.

By ignoring the drink you get 0pts.

Since Cloud is the last person to put weird shit in his body I went with not drinking it.

The final tally for the options that Cloud gets set him on Chocobo Sam's side quests for the blue corset dress that matches Tifa's canon outfit – she said dress to match, remember? It's also the one that in the ultimania Cloud looks the most at ease in.

Chocobo Sam's sidequests are the ones that I got as a result of choosing the options I did. I believe this is the canon narrative that Cloud would take if he were choosing. After several playthroughs I did waver on whose quests seemed more the narrative canon. I began thinking Sam's were, but then the ultimania illustration of Cloud embarrassed in the satin dress led me to think Madam M's were the narrative canon. After playing both sets of side quests, I've come to the conclusion that Sam's would be the narrative choice if Cloud were making the decisions.

Having Cloud's choices result in Sam's side quests we get burning thighs (appears in both), the party never stops and a dynamite body.

Burning thighs is the squats contest that echoes the OG storyline. We meet Andrea's little brother, Jules – who is totally not staring at Cloud's ass through the entire minigame while encouraging him. This side quest touches on egos and being cocky – which Cloud can be. It's a humble pie moment, which is another life lesson that Cloud needs to learn also.

The party never stops features the return of Johnny, who appears as we leave the dressmaker's son who's the originator for the quest. We're sent over into the bar, where we can collect the Midgar Blues single for the cd achievement. This song is canonically Cloud and Tifa's romantic theme in Advent Children. Once we meet the dressmaker, we're sent over to the materia guy who wants “the sauce” in exchange for “inspiration”.

This sidequest is a bunch of tongue in cheek dick jokes and it's hilarious! It's also alludes to the fact that Cloud has zero experience since he had a crush on Tifa until he left the village, spent his time pining for her as a grunt, then got stuffed in a test tube and was in a coma for five years. Ofc he blusters his way through it, handling his balls and making comments about how he doesn't need lessons on “whipping it out”. Oh you poor sweet boi.

Once we get the sauce – fun fact there's no picture in the inventory of it when you get it – and we hand off to the materia guy (unintentional pun but I'm leaving it in now I've done it – and that one) we head over to the next weirdo on the list. The chef. Who literally poisons all of his customers. I suspect he and the pharmacy guy are in cahoots. He poisons people, the pharmacy guy cures them and they both get rich.

The chef asks Cloud to help fix the problem with his kitchen – but from npcs around it sounds like it's just his cooking that's the issue. It doesn't matter which option you pick, Johnny still gets food poisoning. Even if you max your materia, nothing changes. Cloud doesn't even offer the options, Johnny does the talking.

Once we're done with the killer chef, it's over to the pharmacy guy, who asks Cloud to go and deliver medicine. If you maxed your cleansing materia you get 3 packets of meds. The only one that matters is the guy in the pub bathroom since that moves the side quest along. The others are optional, but increase Cloud's rep about town since he's helping more people.

The pharmacy guy gives Cloud a Honey Bee Inn VIP pass, which is the dressmaker's inspiration. Once that's handed back, Cloud chats to the dressmaker's son, who caps the side quest off with the below screen.

This is a reference to the dream that Cloud had during chapter 8 where his mother mentioned he should have a mature girlfriend. This is the contradicting opinion that balances that. The dressmaker's son saying age doesn't equal maturity is referencing Tifa – since these quests are the ones that get you the matching dress to her canon one. This is the same as the Midgar Blues playing in the pub. These are Tifa centric quests, which is the entire reason Cloud's in Wall Market to begin with.

The last quest is a dynamite body, which comes from Sam. Tifa has a bomb bracelet on her default weapon that is part of a matching pair with her chocobo bracelet. Tifa is represented by “da bomb” and everyone knows Cloud’s a chocobo head. This quest is referencing cloti, and a comment from the announcer using a mixed metaphor mentions putting on shades.

Afterwards Same tries to hand Cloud his cut of the prize money and Cloud says he's there for Tifa, not money. Sam replies that Cloud has changed since his arrival and could likely storm Corneo's place all by himself to save Tifa. He also mentions that Tifa is a bombshell and Cloud goes to confront him by taking a step forward and saying “Hey.” This is Cloud stepping up to people sexually objectifying Tifa.

Once the quests are done, it's back to Corneo's where Cloud considers breaking in – like Sam suggested – but Leslie uses Cloud's feelings for Tifa against him by saying Corneo could hurt her if he does anything he shouldn't. This isn’t the first time Cloud’s emotionally blackmailed in Wall Market.

Cloud backs down, but is now operating under the sense that Corneo is a lot more dangerous than he first thought, and he's sending Aerith in. Aerith. Who's useless in a fight. He's now thinking that he'd have to go in and save them both, which is why he says to Aerith that he's not letting her go alone.

We've now reached the point where Cloud's earlier refusal to do kid related quests gives us the result with Aerith's dress. Her theme has been given a slightly rock vibe, which is SOLDIER Cloud appropriate, and the design is something that she has chosen – this is in line with her OG dress which she chose herself. She also has a large hair bow, similar hairstyle to OG and her flower symbolism throughout – compared to the red dress which has stars that haven't been associated with her at any point. The straps on the pink dress – which is her signature colour – also match the straps on the OG design. Johnny’s around throwing cherry blossom petals, which match several of her abilities and are a reference to Zack. Aerith wore this dress for Zack. This is her Zack date dress. This leads me to believe that this is her canon narrative outfit.

The accompanying blocking to this scene is also more realistic than the other two.

Cloud's reaction to the dress is suitably Cloud. His jaw drops a little and he gets a bit soft voiced when talking to Aerith, though it's a quick moment that ends when he asks why she left Madam M's.

And now we're at the point where Cloud has to impress Andrea Rhodea. As long as you get 112pts in his dance sequence (great = 2, good = 1) then Cloud will wear the earrings with his dress, no matter which one it is.

This is the last choice you have and it's the tie breaker between the two girls if you chose to do all of the side quests for them. By choosing Aerith you get her resolution later in chapter 14, but in the meantime you get a short dialogue and then Tifa wakes up.

If you choose Tifa, this goes towards her resolution in chapter 14, but in the meantime you get a longer dialogue concerning the imminent dangers in sector 7 and also she questions Cloud about his relationship with Aerith. This is referencing all of the strange things about Aerith from her initial touch to Cloud’s wrist letting him see the whispers, to the whispers attacking them later in sector 7, to her not letting him leave sector 5, to her crying and wanting to go with him. Tifa’s question makes Cloud suspicious. It’s not romantically motivated on her part because her focus is on saving sector 7.

Cloud doesn't get a chance to answer, as Aerith wakes up.

Chapter 12

Technically not a choice -- in fact it implies the opposite -- because if you run the timer out in chapter 12 at the top of the pillar nothing happens. This is a message that all previous timed events were optional because that’s what the players wanted. This is saying that no matter if you try to choose to ignore Tifa or Barret or any of the plot, that the game will wait for you to move. There are no consequences to running this timer down because it’s implying that the time for optional choices has passed. Narrative canon only will commence from this point on.

The last optional choice in the game comes a lot later with the stairs and elevator, so anything that Cloud says or does between then is canon. All of the resolutions are canon, but we're only able to view one at a time because of how the game operates. Cloud is the witness to the resolutions because they’re Barret, Tifa’s and Aerith’s resolutions.

Barret's resolution is first because the lighting is much brighter indicating it's earlier in the night.

After that comes Tifa's resolution, which is much later in the night, but well before dawn.

The last resolution is Aerith's and she indicates that it's almost morning at the end of hers.

All resolutions are canon

Aerith's resolution is hinted at by Mirielle during the lost wallet and Kyrie sidequests.

Tifa's resolution is hinted at by Tifa, through Leslie in the chapter 14 intel gathering main quest where you hunt down Don Corneo. Tifa relates Leslie's fiancee's necklace to a symbol of reunion. Since the necklace has a reunion flower on it, that she's seen, and the only time she mentions learning about the meaning of that flower is during her resolution, this is the confirmation of it having happened. Also, the fact that Cloud was about to mention the meaning, then stopped because he thought it might embarrass Tifa – who'd been in a vulnerable state at the time – shows that he was aware of both the meaning and the resolution and Tifa's feelings.

Chapter 16

Last choice in the game and it’s between the stairs and the elevator. And as much as I love the stairs, Mayor Domino tells us later on that the stuff in the elevator is what happened.

Feel bad for Cloud having to confront his claustrophobia with Tifa there. He’s not happy at all by the time they reach the top.

In Conclusion.

Playing as though Cloud were the one making the choices was a lot harder than I thought. I tend to choose things either as he would, or close enough in most cases, but there were some choices that had me stopping to debate which was the right choice. Cloud's character development is a slow process and even though I know he's got a whole kid army in AC, I couldn't resolve that with his current personality, so that led me to avoiding the kid quests. This revealed that Aerith should have worn her pink dress in the narrative and the scene between them when she reveals it feels a very narrative canon type of scene.

Tifa's dress is the same no matter what. I also believe she'd be the narrative choice in the sewers over Aerith because of the content of her dialogue and the fact real!Cloud has a crush on her still. He often checks in with her to make sure she's ok and he has an overriding urge to support and comfort her even when he doesn't know how. The way she lands in the sewers is echoed later in several other falls, but there’s one in the opening of chapter 13 where she’s got her arm under her head. This is because Cloud positioned her that way after she got knocked out. This shows he’d go to her if he saw her hurt.

All of the events, options and side quests culminate in Tifa's resolution being the main narrative option we see, with Aerith and Barret as a second and third option through replay choices, though all three do happen. From Cloud’s pov, though, the important one is Tifa because that’s the person he cares about the most. You only get Barret’s resolution by being a closed off asshole and Aerith’s if you act out of character and more like Zack, which is what Aerith wants. The quest dialogue with Leslie shows the resolutions happened, which makes them narrative canon.

People can disagree with this, but I found the narrative canon a really enjoyable way to play – once I got over messing up in wall market with the dress and had to start again (the choices are hard lol). Seeing events through Cloud's eyes, instead of being like some puppet master telling him what to do so I could get the story I wanted to see, was a really fun way to play. I definitely recommend it!

#final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #the cloud narrative #cloud strife #tifa lockheart #Aerith Gainsborough #choice analysis #long post

95 notes · View notes

ronweasleyisourking · 4 years

Text

A Response to “Why Harry & Hermione Should Be Together”, a YouTube Video by the Super Carlin Brothers

First, there are some things that I want to get out of the way:

I harbor no hatred towards Jonathon and Ben or any members of the Super Carlin Brother team and this is not meant as a reason for anyone to leave hate comments on their videos or social media. I have been a fan of theirs for several years now and am simply using their video to get my opinions on the matter out there.

I am all for letting people have their own opinions and people shipping whatever they want, with a couple exceptions such as pedophilia and incest, neither of which is the case here. This is not meant to make Harry/Hermione fans feel attacked or excluded. Again, I am just using the reasons stated in defense of Harmione in this video to create a list of reasons of why I, personally, am against them being together.

Some quotes might be slightly misquoted due to very quick annotations on my part, but I believe the meaning of the quotes stayed the same.

The video starts out with Ben wanting to get a few things out of the way before getting on to his reasons on why Harry and Hermione should be together and those things were: “Hermione is, like, whatever comes, like, one steo above queen.”, Movie Ginny, and horrible Harry/Ginny moments in the movies which honestly instantly put me into fight or flight mode because while he explains that he doesn’t know if the movies are affecting his judgement, I could tell right away that a lot of the reasons were going to boil down to the movies.

Then he moves on to his reasons which in summary are: Harry and Hermione are really great friends, Harry and Ginny came out of nowhere, Ron and Hermione fight a lot, and he ships Ron and Luna. Below, I will discuss each of these reasons and my thoughts on it.

Reason #1: “Harry and Hermione are just really good friends who get along and work well together.”

Sure, they’re great friends, I’ll give you that, but let me show you how they act when Ron isn’t around:

Deathly Hallows, Chapter 16 Godric's Hollow, pages 311 and 312

Now let’s get to his actual reasoning

“In the first book it seems like that’s what they’re setting you up for anyway.”

Interesting take, I wonder why he thinks this.

“Ron is straight up mean to Hermione all the way up to Halloween.”

Oh, really, an eleven year old was mean to another eleven/twelve year old and then they became friends. How odd. That never happens in real life. (Note the sarcasm.) And I wonder, was Harry friends with her before Halloween? *thinks back on book* Hmm, nope.

“...Extremely touching moment right before Harry has to go through and face down Quirrel.”

Philosopher’s Stone, Chapter 16 Through the Trapdoor, pages 286 and 287

Listen, if I thought one of my friends was about to die, I don’t need to be their soulmate to say something nice to them before I may never see them again. Plus, they’re eleven and twelve at this point, and even if Hermione did have a crush on him then, that doesn’t mean they belong together.

“It’s not like the rest of the books are just littered with confessions of admiration. I think it’s just overall the way these two would treat each other, like, it comes with so much more respect, it feels like.”

Friends can respect each other.

“It seems like all the time, she’s throwing her arms around him, like a big hug whenever she sees him.”

I feel like a lot of the hugs are movie scenes but also friends can show physical affection, hugs do not mean someone likes you.

“She’s like kinda low-key super interested in Harry’s love life.”

This was about Cho and Hermione’s interest in Harry and Cho’s friendship/relationship but I’ve had complete strangers interested in my love life, let alone my friend’s interest, it does not mean any of them liked me.

I didn’t get a direct quote on these next two, but he goes off on a tangent about Krum and Hermione (which I do not even want to talk about) and ended it with his theory that Hermione only went to the Yule Ball with Krum to make Harry jealous and backs it up with zero proof - unless you count stating that Krum is also a seeker is great evidence, which I do not.

He also brings up the fact that Hermione helps Harry with the summoning charm before the first task in Goblet of Fire but Ron let Harry practice the stunning spell on him repeatedly before the third task so... I’m just saying if we’re going to base ships off people helping Harry with a task, we have better options.

Honestly, a lot of evidence in the video for Hermione and Harry was speculation about Hermione liking Harry and very little on whether Harry liked Hermione, which matters just as much, and we know for a fact that he didn’t:

Deathly Hallows, Chapter 19 The Silver Doe, page 378

Reason # 2: “Harry and Ginny, I guess are, like, fine, but it’s this thing that’s, like, lightly introduced where Ginny has a crush on him in book two and then it sort of evaporates and doesn’t exist at all until it comes on full bore in book six and it kind of feels, like, shoehorned in.”

This reason is given little evidence, other than a theory that Hermione was “eliminating the biggest threat” by telling Ginny to date other guys, which is just weird.

The build up of Harry and Ginny’s friendship and eventual relationship is subtle but amazing and I really suggest you check out @hillnerd ‘s post on it here because they explain the build up better than I ever could.

Reason #3: “Ron and Hermione fight... a lot.”

Disclaimer: A lot of these quotes are less about them fighting and more about Ben trying to discredit Ron and Hermione.

“It’s not that I don’t like Hermione and Ron together, like, I would say they’re a 95 out of 100, it works pretty good, but I’m here to say that Harry and Hermione are a straight up one hundo out of one hundo. Okay, maybe not a one hundo out of one hundo but at least a 96 and when did Hermione ever settle for one point lower than she possible could have on a quiz.”

Relationships are not a quiz that can be graded and Hermione did not settle for Ron, this is just a horrible argument.

“Hermione and Ron, they don’t exactly always share the same kind of intimate friendship.”

Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 23 Christmas on the Closed Ward, page 503

He specifically uses this book excerpt to back up his point, stating that Hermione’s responses to gifts prove that she likes Harry better than Ron - when in truth, she just likes Harry’s gift better.

“...Yule Ball though, let’s actually talk about that because I feel like it’s a really great example of Ron not noticing Hermione.”

Goblet of Fire, Chapter 22 The Unexpected Task, page 400

“He’s only just now realizing that she is someone that he either is or even could be romantically interested in.”

I just want to point out that at this point, Ron is fourteen, and fourteen year olds, at least in my experience, are not the smartest. Yes, he was being a bit of git in this scene, thinking that just because Hermione was a girl and their friend, she should go with one of them, and thinking that it’s impossible she could have gotten a date on her own - but he obviously knew she was a girl. And yeah, maybe he is just realizing that he could be attracted to her, but fourteen isn’t a weird age to begin recognizing attraction.

Ron and Hermione have a great relationship, and yes, in a lot of the text, they are fighting. But we should not forget that Harry is narrating the books and we don’t get to see the entirity of their relationship. Of course he’s narrating about their fights - that’s the part of their friendship/relationship that effects him.

“Secret” Reason #4: “I think that Ron should have ended up with Luna.”

I can see some of the reasoning for this because there is a little bit of evidence of Luna maybe liking Ron in Order of the Phoenix, but I don’t think we see anything that would suggest Ron liking Luna, which again, is also important. And he gives no reason why he thinks Ron and Luna would have been better suited for each other.

Finally, Ben’s concluding point was

“And you know what, if I’m reading too much into the books which maybe we do, the movies go out of their way to reinforce the idea.”

This concluding statement is basically my earlier fear coming true, when in the end, all the reasons boiled down to a montage of scene of Harry and Hermione in the movies, which let’s be honest, were basically just Steve Kloves’ Harmione fanfiction.

I’m going to be honest, I watched this video all the way through twice, and I found the reasoning weak and not at all convincing. You can ship whatever you want - even Harry and Hermione - but that doesn’t mean it would work in actual canon.

#anti-harmione #harry potter #hermione granger #romione #ron weasley

49 notes · View notes

chibistarlyte · 4 years

Photo

Below the cut is a master list of all the fics I’ve written for Boku no Hero Academia, organized by ship and in order of oldest to newest, all in one convenient spot. Keep checking the original post for more fics as I write and publish them!

tododeku fics

spit the ashes from my mouth rating: g trigger warning(s): childhood trauma, mild blood

He’d thought he’d gotten over it. That he’d moved on, healed, accepted what his mother did to him. What his father caused his mother to do to him.

But trauma has a way of creeping back up on you when you least expect it, rearing its ugly head and trying to drag you back underwater when you feel like you’d finally breached the surface for air.

Shouto is determined not to let it.

these hands could hold the world rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Izuku looked between their joined hands and Todoroki, and even though Izuku was on the bed and Todoroki was on the floor, neither of them speaking, with only their hands touching, this singular moment felt so...intimate that Izuku couldn’t wrap his head around it.

the sound of your name on my lips rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Shouto barely knew how to be someone's friend, let alone someone's boyfriend.

leave a beautiful scar rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Even with this blotch of marred skin, Shouto was still beautiful. Or, perhaps, because of it.

It was a sign he had survived the damage dealt to him.

rattle my bones like an earthquake to glass rating: t trigger warning(s): panic attacks, mild blood and injury

Izuku returns home to find Shouto in the aftermath of a panic attack.

keep holding on rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Izuku didn’t have to worry about trying to hold on with his shaking hands, because Shouto was holding onto him enough for the both of them.

catching kisses rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Izuku is just trying to bandage Shouto up, but Shouto keeps stealing kisses from him.

you’re like coming home rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Five times Shouto steals Izuku's hoodie, and the one time Izuku gives it to him.

Behind the Camera Lens rating: t trigger warning(s): childhood trauma/abuse

Izuku and Shouto are two Youtubers who have been subscribed to each other for ages, but have never actually spoken. That is, until Izuku reaches a million subscribers and Shouto leaves a kind comment on his announcement video. A fast friendship forms from there, and more.

Izuku's crush from afar turns into something much deeper, and Shouto learns how to let love in.

**this fic also has a KiriBaku spinoff fic written by my friend Kat @sunshineijirou:

One New Notification rating: t trigger warning(s): none

Eijirou was nervous as he looked around at the crowd outside the convention center. Ochako, his friend and fellow fitness YouTuber had surprised him with two passes to a convention specifically for fellow streamers and vloggers. She usually went with her girlfriend, Tsuyu, but the large crowds weren’t really her thing. This year she had insisted that Ochako go with someone who really wanted to go. Eijirou had excitedly accepted.

keep it safe rating: t trigger warning(s): mild blood, mild gore, references to child abuse, scars

It's been many years since Shouto carried his heart with him.

After his mother tried to destroy his unsightly half, she had been sent away. Shouto's heart hurt so much, a near-constant burning in his chest that threatened to sear his lungs, the bones of his ribs, the veins and arteries that pumped blood through the vessel…

Well. One day, he decided he didn't want it anymore. So he took it out.

Date the Stars rating: t trigger warning(s): nightmares, repressed memories, trauma

“Shouto?”

“I do not understand…” Shouto said quietly enough that Izuku had to strain to hear him. “Why are these images in my mind? Their presence is illogical.”

“Well, the brain isn’t always logical, despite what Vulcans may have you believe,” Izuku snorted at his own joke, not surprised to find no reaction to it from Shouto.

“Becoming human is exhausting,” Shouto said, sounding completely and thoroughly exasperated, much of the monotony from his voice gone for just that small admission.

Izuku smiled. Small steps, right?

A fic in which Izuku finds an abandoned Borg drone named Shouto and helps him regain his humanity...and maybe falls in love along the way.

multiship fics

D(ouble)D(ate)R rating: t trigger warning(s): canon-typical violence co-author: @sunshineijirou

Kirishima invites Midoriya and Todoroki on a double date with him and Bakugou with the hopes of helping to ease the tensions between his boyfriend and the other couple.

Be The Very Best (Like No Hero Ever Was) rating: t trigger warning(s): to be added

Midoriya Izuku learns that, without a Quirk and with his Pokémon partner by his side, he can become a hero.

kiribaku fics

A Little Mischief rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Bakugou brings a cat in from the rain and has no idea what to do.

face the blame rating: g trigger warning(s): mild injury

Bakugou accidentally hurts Kirishima while Quirk training.

let me love you (without having to say it) rating: g trigger warning(s): none

Kirishima is sick and Bakugou wants to take care of him.

another story rating: t trigger warning(s): mild injury and mild blood

Eijirou did a one-shoulder shrug, careful not to move any other part of his body lest he open up his injury yet again. “It’s not like I don’t have scars all over the damn place,” he said, holding out one of his arms to make his point. Whitened scars littered his tanned skin, some in jagged lines, others in perfectly smooth cuts across his muscled arms. “Besides, it’s just another cool story to tell, y’know?”

todobaku fics

seventh time’s the charm rating: t trigger warning(s): mild injury and blood

Six times Shouto asks Katsuki to marry him, and the one time Katsuki finally says yes.

some days rating: t trigger warning(s): suicidal thoughts/ideation, dissociation, childhood trauma, depression, unintentional self-harm

Most days, Shouto is fine.

But some days...

Some days, Shouto falls apart.

one day rating: t trigger warning(s): references to depression and suicidal thoughts/ideation

He's okay, Katsuki has to remind himself again, almost afraid that Todoroki might slip right through his calloused fingers if he doesn't hold on tight enough.

follow-up to ‘some days’

the day after rating: t trigger warning(s): references to depression, negative self-talk

The tears come unbidden, and Shouto drops his phone in his lap to press the heels of his hands against his eyes. He can already feel frost creeping over his cheek, his tears cooling and hardening as they pass down his skin and over the frozen patches shining translucent white in the daylight.

So many people care for him...and he has no idea why.

part 3 in the 'days' series

tomorrow is another day rating: t trigger warning(s): references to depression, negative self-talk, references to suicidal thoughts and dissociation

“I think you should see someone, Shouto. A professional. They can help you,” Rei says, and Shouto can hear the quiet confidence in her words. Words spoken from experience. Who would know about this kind of thing better than her, after all?

Shouto nods wordlessly, pulling back and finally looking at his mother. She smiles softly down at him, and tucks some of his disheveled hair away from his face. “Is it scary?” he asks, already feeling the trepidation at the possibility of sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings with a complete stranger.

Rei nods slowly, her smile fading somewhat. “Yes. It can be scary, at first. And painful. Your emotions will be all over the place for a while. But…” she pauses, placing both her hands on Shouto’s cheeks to make sure she has his full attention. “Talking about this, working through it with someone who is trained to help people like you and me...it’s an important step to take so you can heal.”

part 4 in the ‘days’ series

a new day (to face your fears) rating: t trigger warning(s): mentions of depression and suicidal thoughts

The halls are emptier than usual for the end of the school day, which makes the journey to the teachers’ office all the more daunting to Shouto. At least if there were white noise around him, his thoughts wouldn’t bounce around so loudly in his skull and echo back at him tenfold.

Next to him, Shouto hears Bakugou take in a breath as if he wants to say something. Shouto holds his own breath, waiting for the other boy to speak.

But no words come, and Shouto exhales, feeling almost...disappointed.

everything the light touches rating: g trigger warning(s): none

"This," Shouto said, sliding the ring onto Katsuki's ring finger, "is my promise to you, Katsuki. My promise that, when I free this land from my father's tyranny and find a suitable ruler to take his place, I will go with you." Like the prince he was, Shouto lifted Katsuki's hand and placed a polite, delicate kiss to his knuckles. Katsuki's felt Shouto's lips move against his roughened skin as he said, "I will follow wherever you lead me."

i don’t dance rating: g trigger warning(s): none

"What?" Todoroki asked, raising a snow white brow. "Don't like to dance?"

"What the fuck would ever give you the goddamn idea that I do?" Katsuki said.

Todoroki just shrugged, finishing off his punch and tossing his cup into a nearby recycling bin. "Well...would you like to?"

Katsuki squinted his eyes at Todoroki. "Like to what?"

"Dance with me."

I Now Pronounce You... rating: m trigger warning(s): alcohol use, sexual humor, implied sexual content

Bakugou sucked in a breath and turned to face Shouto, his crimson eyes serious and determined. “Let’s get married.”

Shouto’s world ground to a screeching halt and he nearly lost his balance in the process. “Come again?” he asked, blinking rapidly a few times. He must be nearing black-out drunk if he was starting to hallucinate Bakugou asking for his hand in marriage. They weren't even dating.

A fic in which Shouto and Katsuki have had a little too much to drink and decide to tie the knot.

it’s okay (to not be okay) rating: t trigger warning(s): hospitals, injury, implied abuse

Todoroki nodded and pursed his lips. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as his mismatched eyes focused on his own hands as they tried to move in an unfamiliar pattern. If Katsuki were the sappy type, he might have admitted Todoroki looked cute when he was concentrating.

But Katsuki steered himself away from that train of thought, watching Todoroki’s hands sign a very simple, very loaded question.

“Are you okay?”

erasermight fics

shut up and dance with me rating: g trigger warning(s): none

“Do you want to dance with me, Aizawa-kun?” Yagi asked with an almost bashful smile, and Aizawa couldn’t tell if it was the dim, colorful lights or a blush that was turning Yagi’s sharp cheeks pink.

“Alright,” he agreed, pushing himself off the wall and taking Yagi’s hand.

kiritodo fics

hey, beautiful! rating: g trigger warning(s): none

"Hey, beautiful!"

Shouto looked up from his laptop. A smile immediately tugged at his lips when he saw Eijirou standing in the doorway to his office, all geared up in his hero uniform.

"Hey yourself," he replied, standing up from his desk. "Why do you insist on calling me that?"

"Because it's true?"

how many nights does it take to count the stars? rating: g trigger warning(s): brief mentions of war and trauma

The two of them sat together in silence, neither of them quite knowing what to say.

But...what do you even really say after a war?

shouldering the pain rating: t trigger warning(s): minor description of bruises

The polite thing to do was let Shouto take his shower, then ask him again about what was wrong afterward. But Eijirou was never good at sitting around and waiting.

So, he determinedly headed to the bathroom and cracked open the door.

And what he saw made his breath catch in his chest.

Written for TodoKiri Week 2021

gen fics

Children of Bad Fire Dads Club rating: g trigger warning(s): mentions of endeavor’s bad parenting

Shouto drags Izuku with him to hang out with Natsuo.

like night and day rating: t trigger warning(s): talk about suicide, references to depression

Katsuki watches his phone screen, waiting for a message back from Deku. But instead of receiving a text, his phone starts vibrating and screen changes to that of an incoming call.

From Deku.

"Fucking hell," Katsuki breathes out, clicking the little green button with the phone icon on it to answer the call. "What," he growls out, his voice gravelly as he tries to keep quiet enough to not wake Todoroki.

And lord help him, he can already hear Deku sobbing on the other end of the line. The other boy is speaking, but all the crying makes it impossible for Katsuki to make any sense of what he's saying.

missing scene between 'one day' and 'the day after'

#tododeku #kiribaku #todobaku #bnha fic #fic masterlist

29 notes · View notes

rammaukins · 3 years

Text

Shara - The New Latexdoll

IMPORTANTE NOTE: Everything that appears here, in this story, only exists in my mind, anything that resembles reality is coincidence or fortuitous. . . ( hopefully there will be many of these 🤩, or not, who knows 😭 )

Damn! Where is the Zipper? - Movimento 1

( My gratitude to KunKlo , for his great job of correcting my English and expressions. )

Part 1

On an ordinary Friday afternoon, Shara, a clerk working as a secretary in an advertising company, was strolling around looking at the shop windows of the stores in the commercial district. Like every last Friday of the month, she had put on comfortable clothes that were easy to take off, so that she could easily give in to the temptation to try on a new dress or some other garment and maybe buy it. But what was typical of this day after getting her paycheck, was that today she was going to treat herself to a new pair of high heels.

She was addicted to heels, she had renovated her house to make a dressing room in which half of the space was just for her shoes. And she had her shoes sorted by day of the week, by heel height, by whether she wanted to be more or less comfortable. She had set aside a special place for her most expensive shoes and also her favourites for creating an impression. From that dressing room, without any friend or acquaintance of hers knowing, she had made a few videos for YouTube that she knew would appeal to lovers of heels and fetish fashion. Always avoiding showing her face or any detail that would make someone recognize her.

Today was one of those days when she hoped to be able to buy some shoes that were not run of the mill, that were extravagant, impossible looking, with which she would surely get more followers and thereby improve her earnings. And if she could also find some clothes to impress, so much the better. She even looked in costume shops for porcelain Venetian type masks, not minding if they were made of plastic. If she could further cajole her followers by letting herself be seen completely and still maintaining her anonymity, that would be great.

She wandered the streets of the shopping district, looking into the windows, hoping to see something that would catch her eye. Shara today was also hoping to find something nice to wear this weekend, to get really sexy and seduce again someone she already had in mind. For a moment while she was looking at a lingerie shop, she remembered how that person was running his hands over her skin. Those manly, strong hands, that knew so very well how to excite her body.

Shara walked down several streets, perusing all the shops for possible purchases. She had made a mental note of some of the clothes she had seen and which shops they were in. With the clothes she had some choices, but for now, she couldn't find what she had truly come for. After going into five shoe stores, she couldn't find a pair of shoes that were out of the ordinary. There were sandals of all kinds, shoes of all shapes, heels of all sizes. There were several models, that if you could combine them and create a single pair. . . she would have something worthy to use in her videos. But so, Shara was forced to keep looking, getting a little frustrated.

As she was about to return home, a shop caught her eye. She had never noticed that narrow alleyway in the cyberpunk clothing shopping district, where each shop was more outlandish than the last. If it weren't for the neon lights on the sign, “Your Sin”, she wouldn't have noticed that shop at all. It wasn't the first time she'd been in a sex shop, but it wasn't something she was in the habit of doing. At the moment she was entering, another client was coming out and he gave her a tremendous fright. He was the typical person who didn't care about the opinions of others, dressed in leather clothes, with his chest covered by a torn fishnet t-shirt and, for a man, made up too much, like. . . whatever urban movement he belonged to.

Shara stood watching the man leave, when the shop owner greeted her and invited her in. With some embarrassment she looked back and forth, in case there was another customer, but apart from the shop owner, there was no one else in the store. She took a deep breath and relaxed, and began to feel more comfortable knowing she was on her own. It wasn't her first time in a sex shop, but she didn't feel comfortable buying intimate things in person, preferring the internet. She always felt uncomfortable, when she felt someone's gaze upon her, thinking she knew what they were thinking about her when they bought something. For this reason, she never showed her face in the videos.

Now more relaxed, she began to look at the products on display, and the first thing that caught her eye, was a complicated corset, underbust, with a strap connecting to a collar that was the same shape as the corset. On the collar it said in dark gold letters "Sex Toy". Shara was impressed by the outfit upon closer inspection. Both the corset part and the necklace part had the same design, except for the detail that the neck corset had that characteristic witch's necklace design. Not very high, but high enough to cover the head from behind and limit the view from the sides. It looked like something out of a bad eighties epic-erotic fantasy witch movie, but with a careful and elegant design.

"With that you could charm any man right under your heels." - Shara suddenly heard behind her.

The young woman who was attending the shop, after seeing Shara, noticed right away that she was not a regular shopper in these types of establishments. So she had said that phrase to her, to get her mind focused on something that wasn't so embarrassing, and it seemed to work. Shara relaxed a little more and didn't look around herself so much. She noticed the amazing, shiny, pale pink latex Cheongsam dress with black lotus floral embroidery that the shopkeeper was wearing. She was also wearing a corset-like belt, much like the one Shara had been looking at, but without a collar. The whole outfit was very provocative, giving her a sensual and chic figure.

"Hi. I just wanted to introduce myself, honey. I am called Beky. I can see you're more of an online shopper, so I think I'll leave you a little bit to your own devices to familiarize yourself with the store." - said the shop owner, trying not to scare her.

"Look, down this aisle you'll find some cute outfits, toys are over there, leather clothes here and accessories and bondage items over there. High heels and stripper shoes are here and at the end of that aisle, you can find the most fetish like and the craziest shoes. Let me know when you find something that interests you." - Beky said, pointing down several aisles.

That last bit of information made Shara forget what she was currently looking at. She said thank you and went straight for the shoes. Her inner slutty self had always wanted a pair of stripper shoes to surprise a visitor. She already had more or less a picture in her mind of what she wanted. But when she reached the shoe rack she was overwhelmed by the sheer variety of rare shoes and boots on display. They were mostly available in black, white, red and transparent. The lowest heel was three inches and no platform. There were shoes with thin heels, wide heels, shaped figures, pony-boots and some that immediately caught her attention, the ballet-heels.

They were shaped like ballet shoes, but made of patent leather, on the instep there was a transparent sheet and two straps that crossed in "x" form , another one with a buckle that crossed the instep, and then a much wider strap on the ankle, whose closure had two small rings, to lock it with a small padlock.

"I love them." - she said to herself, marveling at the design and at the same time she was so excited to have found what she was looking for.

Shara had heard of them, and also, she had read comments coming from some of her fans. But until now she had had no interest, mostly because the ones she had seen as an example in a link, sent by one of her followers, was a rather horrendous design. But that pair was anything but hideous, she examined the shoe more closely and there was no doubt that whoever wore that pair of shoes would have to tiptoe like a ballet dancer. That shoe had caught her attention, they were perfect, with an elegant finish, just what she was looking for and she had to have them.

She picked them up and looked for the size of the shoe, and when she looked at the label, it wasn't her size. But then she saw something that further crushed her plan. To her big disappointment, right next to the size of the shoe, was the price of that shoe. It was totally out of her reach. With some annoyance she looked at the rest of the ballet-heels there. And she found some pink booties, vintage design. Shara took a closer look at the boot and the price seemed more reasonable than the shoe.

"It's not as pretty as the other one. . . but it will do." - She said to herself hoping it would have the effect she was looking for.

With the ballet-heels in hand she walked back to the checkout counter where the owner was taking a call. There was an open box next to her, while she was holding up a flesh-colored, see-through latex suit. As Shara waited for the girl to end the call, she couldn't help but overhear her talking about a "LatexDoll" model latex costume from something called "WomanDoll" that she had received. But only one had been delivered and she had ordered ten.

Shara visually examined the box the clerk had on the table. There were two things that caught her attention, right at the bottom of the box it said: "Designed to attract attention and not let anyone recognize you." Then Shara's gaze went to the top of the box, and that slogan captivated her: "Become your own Sex LatexDoll".

to be continued...

tumblr: Shara - The New Latexdoll (Part2) >>

DeviantArt: Shara - The New Latexdoll (part2) >>

Story by Rammaukin

Correction by KunKlo.

If you 😍 it, click on 💗, and we appreciate your comments 👍 , also the criticisms 🤬, although it may and is very likely that, we do not pay attention to them 🧘.

#digital art #tights #corruption #boots #cute girls #digitalilustration #rammaukin #story #part1 #solofeme

2 notes · View notes